


Stars In My Pockets (Wear Daisies In My Hair)

by LostInQueue, MyJediLife



Category: Logan Lucky (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bodyguard, Bodyguard Romance, Clyde has all his appendages, Clyde is a soft boy, Clyde will also cut a bitch if needed, Clyde will protect Rey, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explosives, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Inappropriate use of flowers, Love and Marriage, Mutual Pining, Rey is the PMs daughter, Reylogan, Sexual Assault, Slow Burn, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, unclaimed terrorism, war time themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2020-10-25 10:35:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 125,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20722814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInQueue/pseuds/LostInQueue, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife
Summary: When a terrorist group, The First Order, starts threatening the Prime Minister and his family, a special group of ex-veterans is called in to protect them. What happens when lines are crossed, and feelings that shouldn't be explored are? How hard is it to keep the one you love the most safe at all costs?





	1. I'll Catch You When You Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Ok! Big thank you to MyJediLife _FIRST_ for letting me know about this challenge (to write about the same prompt/ trope concept) because this is SO MUCH FUN!
> 
> _Second,_ for writing this with me, because EEEEEE what's in store for this story just makes me squeal!
> 
> And _THIRD_ She made this moodboard and beta'ed the story too!! <3 <3 
> 
> I am just in awe of your talent my friend :)
> 
> Heathyr here. I originally gave this prompt to Kelly, then she decided she wanted me on board for another Reylogan romp - so here we are. Clyde Logan as a bodyguard, (and with full use of both appendages currently) was a far too delicious meal for me to skip.
> 
> Kelly is a **massively** talented artist - and she writes a good Rey, too! I will be writing from Clyde's POV, and she will be writing Rey's. :)
> 
> We both hope you enjoy!

[ ](https://ibb.co/wJMQyhM)

Clyde Logan was a quiet man - always had been. His CO had once called him a 'stoic, mute sonuvabitch', which, Clyde figured described him well enough. Jimmy and Mellie had always been the outgoing talkers of the family. Clyde, well, he was the thinker of the Logan kids.

He figured he was like a southern storm. Low and quiet, building up on the horizon until it was time to unleash his fury.

Not that Clyde had a bad temper - he just knew that when it was time to act, he could call upon some primal rage deep within him if needed. You had to, in times of war. He had found that out the hard way. Pulling three of your battle buddies out of a burning Humvee after an IED explosion and carrying them on your back to safety while getting shot at requires that rage - that deep seated anger towards the enemy - because in that instant, it’s either you or them surviving the day.

As the long, sleek car pulled up to the terminal and the door opened to let the tall, well built frame of his boss out, Clyde let a small smile break over his face. “Hey there, Slugger! Good to see ya again!”

“Good to see you as well, Miner.” Earl Dyers looked over his former soldier, and now security force, cracking a smile at the brick shithouse that was Clyde Logan. A lot of people would look at him and think he was a dumb hick, especially when he opened his mouth and talked with that slow, southern drawl of his - but Earl knew better. Clyde Logan was a hero, and was one of the smartest soldiers he had ever had under his command. He was perfect for the crew they were putting together to be the personal guard for the Prime Minister and his family.

After opening the trunk for Clyde to put his bag inside, Earl waited until they were both settled into their seats before sliding a manila folder towards Clyde. “The Prime Minister and his eldest daughter, Rey, have been working on a project that has a small, splinter group of terrorists calling themselves the First Order rather angry with them. They’ve made threats, and that’s why we were called in. There’s the dossier. I want you on the daughter, Clyde. I’ve got the PM, and we got Lynx, Alien and Scary on the wife and the other kids.”

Clyde nodded, flipping open the folder to see a color photo of a beautiful young woman, with sparkling hazel eyes and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen staring up at him. “There’s gonna be a lot of travel involved with her, Clyde. She goes to college at Cornell, so you’ll have to go back and forth between the States and here. She also has a young man she’s dating, the Earl of Livermore’s grandson, Stephen Mooring. He’s your typical English elite prick, with a stick so far up his ass you’d think you could see it in his mouth every time he talks.” Earl handed another file to Clyde while somehow still managing to weave his way through the London traffic. “There’s his dossier, as well as the dossiers for her closest friends. Anyone could be aligned with these assholes.”

Clyde nodded once, already opening the folders and glancing through them quickly. He was good at judging people, and always went with his gut instincts. His Daddy had always said you could see a person’s soul in their eyes if you looked hard enough, and Clyde had remembered that lesson as he got older and went off to war.

The girl - Lady - he reminded himself, that he would be protecting had kind eyes, and he could tell she found a lot of joy in life. Her boyfriend, though - his eyes were cold. Calculating. They had Clyde on edge almost immediately, and he made a mental note to do a more thorough vetting of the man before letting him near Rey again.

If he was going to be responsible for Rey’s life, they were doing it his way, or he would be on the next plane back to Boone County.

“So, when we gonna meet the family? What’s the SOP? Like usual, tryin’ ta blend in?” This wasn’t Clyde’s first time protecting important people, and he was certain it probably wouldn’t be his last. While he would like nothing more than to be able to retire back in Boone County, and maybe take to running the bar he had bought all those years ago, he knew he would just get restless and bored. He may not be a talker, but he was a thinker, and a doer. He liked to stay busy.

“We’re heading over to the Embassy right now. Alien, Lynx and Scary came in on an earlier flight, so they are anxious to get going as well. I know I don’t need to ask you this, but… are you on your ‘A’ game here, Miner? If not, you need to get into it.”

“Ya know me, Slugger. I’m ready to go.”

….

The US embassy in London looked like someone had taken thousands of beer cans, cut them open, and formed them into pyramids before gluing them onto concrete. It was probably the most ostentatious building he had ever seen - and Clyde Logan had seen quite a bit in his thirty-two years of life. He much preferred the rolling hills and lush greenery of West Virginia, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of the city - but he had a job to do. He could adapt to any climate, any situation. That’s what he had been trained to do.

Stepping out of the car in the parking garage, Clyde waited for Earl to take the lead. After grabbing his pack from the trunk, Clyde followed him into the building. Earl led them to a small conference room, where Clyde greeted his old friends. They had all worked together before, and the five of them proved to make a good team.

After catching up, Clyde asked where the bathroom was, and as he headed out into the hallway, he found the facilities without difficulty. As he swung the door open to step back out into the hallway, it collided with someone, sending them flailing backwards, a manila file folder of paper landing on the floor and erupting like a paper volcano. Clyde reacted without thinking, grabbing the arm of the person falling and pulling them upright, his face turning bright red as he realized he had just saved the very person he would be protecting from falling to the floor.

“I got ya,” he drawled, giving Rey a small smile. “Lemme help ya pick these up.”

….

Being the Prime Minister’s daughter had just as many - if not more - downs than it did ups, or at least Rey thought so. It had been this way her whole life, putting fashion before freedom. Just for a walk outside she was expected to be in fashionable attire, the latest brands, down to the very nail polish brand she’d been wearing that day. Paparazzi were everywhere, and well, anyone with a phone could snap a shot these days. There really wasn’t anywhere, not even the balcony in her bedroom had given her the luxury of having privacy. Drones had been the reason why enjoying the outdoors had stopped while she was a developing teen.  


Trashy magazines would wait until she frowned slightly to stir up trouble, or throw a rumor in one direction or the next just to sell a few magazines or newspapers. As time went on, Rey stayed to her quarters, until she was old enough to aid in her father’s affairs. It seemed all too often that he’d need a younger set of eyes on an old law to get in the minds of the younger generations. Rey’s advice did not go without intense scrutiny from his own supervisors, but if Rey was anything besides beautiful, she was intelligent, quick - and usually right.  


Most of her  leisure  time had been spent holed up in her home library until she was old enough to attend university elsewhere. Rey found the best use of her time was reading. She didn’t read just anything, either. She read everything from old maps to encyclopedias, old newspapers, and when that began to bore her, she moved on to studying law. Her original intent was to become a lawyer, which, given her father’s position in power, she felt the need to protect him. It made the most sense, that is, until he brought her on as an advisor.  


That hadn’t been planned. It did, however, knock her off kilter. She was no longer allowed to figure out the offender - due to the sensitivity of the multiple groups that they were trying to manage. Outing one group as a criminal, or to be with mal-intent, could break the already fragile truces they had with each other.  


Unfortunately, that’s not the only bad news to come of her father’s choice, either. No, now she had ‘come out of hiding,’ or so the media said. She wouldn’t have been inside her whole life if it wasn’t for them, but this is life... or at least, her life.

Becoming public news meant becoming a target. No one knows her. They’d only seen her polished and ready for ceremonies throughout the years, but now she regularly leaves home to attend both university, and to work alongside her father’s elitist cabinet - which made moving about a headache. Several times she’d ask to Skype with them from the safety of their home if she was needed, but Rey’s father liked to keep her close.  


During their days together, her father would coach her on what politicians smelled like the finest manure. Their social interactions had been important, but mostly repetitive. Rey knew their lines as if they were reciting from a script. She knew the banter, the limp handshakes, the forced elegance of it, but most of all - she knew it’s danger.

Politics are a dangerous thing.

One she truly wanted to stay out of... and for good reason. The moment her father started focusing on change for the greater good... the vast majority of their citizens couldn’t grasp the immediate concept that they could change.  


It did change though.

The moment the first few laws had updated, a mob of confused citizens took to the streets. Cars had been set on fire, pressure cooker bombs set off on side streets, even a few shots had been fired in unknown directions. It forced her into hiding once more, waiting out yet another month before returning to the mild safety of her junior year across the pond at Cornell University.  


There she felt as though her bubble had widened from her forced relationships at home. There - she could breathe.

The stress of being housebound at all hours of the day began to drive Rey crazy, though. The outside had always called to her. It told her to run, to let go of this life, that it didn’t have to be hers just because she was born into it. So many times she found herself staring off into the horizon, wondering when that day would come... when she could be free...but the truth of the matter was that there wasn’t an out for her.  


She was meant for something great, or so that’s what her parents expected out of their oldest daughter. Unfortunately for Rey, there was a path. One gilded in the finer life, in details she could do without, in calculated relationships and expectations - all faltering - but one had been out of place.

Here, at home, she’d come to terms with having nightmares two to three times a week. Some were so bad she had taken to hiding an aluminum rod under her pillow for safe keeping. Several times she’d even woken up with the item held tightly within her grip... at least then they seemed manageable, but with the war on terror finally upon them, and the last few targets being just too close to home, her father had his security team widen their radius. He’d also hired a special team of bodyguards, retired combat vets, who were now assigned to members of her family, including herself - that much she knew.

Rey had a bodyguard assigned to her once, while she was with her father’s entourage when she was younger. It was strange, to say the least, and while they were there for their protection, she didn’t feel it. She didn’t feel like a necessity. Rey assumed keeping her father safe was far more important than looking out for her well-being at the time, which made her uneasy. What if this new assignment was just like that guy? What if he couldn’t care less about her? What if...

“Rey?” she heard her mother call for her from Rey’s doorway.  


She put down her eyebrow brush, clipping the stem of it into her carrier before closing her go-to eye palette, eyeliner and lipstick, after meticulously applying it in response to her mother’s concern of a blemish forming the night before. Rey usually paid no mind to such things, but the moment it had been located by her lip she’d taken the utmost concern on behalf of her parents. Last time she’d been out, the paparazzi had been all too willing to spread wild rumors about said blemish. Not only that, but it brought her boyfriend, Stephen, into the mix, making wild accusations on where he’s been.  


They did not need any more of that - not over a small white head on her face.

“Yes Mother?” Rey turned in her seat, posture square and pointed, before rising from it as if she were being watched by millions.  


Her mother, Elizabeth, stood with her hands clasped one on top of the other in one of her favorite boat-necked dresses. Today’s had been navy, with a thin, tanned leather belt wrapping around her for no other reason but for style. She wore nude stockings and pumps, even though she complained about them on a daily basis. Her mother’s hair had been done into a tight bun, the very kind that glues the volume of it to her head, another thing her mother would often swear she could do without, and yet, was still doing.  


It spoke volumes to Rey, who started worrying she might not have done enough. She’d been in a simple sleeveless green dress, one that had shown her form, suggesting it bore the crowd from looking at her lacking spaces. One look from her mother, and Rey knew she would be turning back to the closet, and yet there she was, crossing the room to add a simple yellow diamond on a thin gold chain she usually wore everywhere despite the colors she chose.  


“There,” Elizabeth whispered, nodding at her daughter, “Now you’re ready.”

What adding the gem did for her mother, Rey still had to know, but once it was on, she always nodded and spoke her words of encouragement.  


“This, what’s happening now, is for our safety, Rey. We need to be put together and strong for our people, so we can send a message, set a tone for them to follow,” she smiled sadly. “I’ll fetch your siblings, but you should be on your way. Your father needs the files you’d looked over the night before, and the notes you have on them before we start.”

“Yes Mother,” Rey replied before she turns for the paperwork and rushes to the door.  


“Like a lady, Rey! Walk!” Elizabeth calls out the door after her.

Running in heels is horrendous.

Not only did the damned things fly off her feet at every lift of her foot, but tried to trip her with the follow up slam of the ball of her foot down onto the tile below her. She’d grown so accustomed to failing at this she’d toed out of said offers to bolt down the remainder of the corridor.  


She’s almost there, she thought, as she drew in another breath of air, only to let it all out at once. A wall of white shone in her eyes, and. ringing ears soon followed - which then had her absolutely confused when warmth engulfed her body. She had felt weightless in it - until his voice registers.  


“I got ya...” the sound of his voice even soothed her.

Rey was sure those three words couldn’t have possibly made her feel as comforted as they did...but there she was, waking up from her spell, held firmly against a man she didn’t know. Her heels, still pinched between two fingers, had been thrown over the man’s shoulder. Files from the manila folders had exploded between them, and all she could do was stare up at her captor.  


The man returned her surprised look with an intensity she’d only begged for from Stephen. It was all here in this package, this Greek god of a man she was sure she’d never see again.

“Sorry,” she whispered, worrying her lower lip as she stepped back, her eyes still locked on the man before her.  
  


He’d given her a small smile, most likely humoring her, but it didn’t matter. Men didn’t do that, or at least hers didn’t, and oh what a treasure it would be to see one form again.  
  


Rey did her best to keep it together, and yet, couldn’t stop smiling about how he’d offered his time to her to help her pick up her work..

“Lemme help ya...” she heard, promising herself and the gods above that she would love to hear that every day for the rest of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clyde tells Rey a story about squirrels, and a nine year old imparts wisdom upon Rey.

[ ](https://imgur.com/vcW4gkh)

Clyde had never seen such a fuss about place settings and the way napkins were folded as he was currently witnessing. Back home in Boone County, they wiped their mouths with whatever fast food napkins they had in the napkin holder on the counter - and sometimes, they just used their shirts to wipe their mouths. And eating different foods with different forks was something so strange to him, it was hard to wrap his brain around. Why, him and Jimmy had a total of four forks in the silverware drawer back home. One for each of them, and two for company.

That was probably why his eyes kept wandering back to where Rey stood, speaking with the daughter of the Swiss President as they stood near the staff who were setting the large tables for the meal. He nodded over at Earl, who was standing just behind the Prime Minister as he talked with a member of his staff. Earl gave him a nod back as well, speaking into their earpiece softly. “Keep your eyes on Daisy, Miner. Alien, Lynx and Scary, check in?”

As each one of his coworkers checked in, Clyde let his eyes wander around the room, his muscles tense as he appraised everyone within the venue. The previous week, they had received a death threat in a letter left on the steps of the Parliament building, and it had the team on edge. They had thoroughly vetted everyone in attendance for the state dinner, including all the staff that was working. Everyone checked out - but none of the team were standing down at all.

Rey chose that moment to look up at him, and Clyde nodded once at her, following as she left the dining hall to get ready. “Daisy is on the move,” Clyde spoke into his comm, Slugger’s voice coming back a second later. “Check that, Miner. Stay in contact.”

“Affirmative.”

Clyde had grown quite familiar with Rey’s long legs, firm, shapely bottom and slender figure by now. He had been her personal guard for three months, and he now knew why everyone she encountered loved her. She was like a hefty dose of sunshine, wrapped up in one person. Her smile was the highlight of his day - and the highlight of what was probably the world’s most stressful - yet boring - job.

As they made their way out to the parking garage, Rey stepped to one side of the doorway, letting him take the lead opening it. He paused and swept his gaze across the landscape, taking one step out of the doorway before half turning to say over his shoulder, “I’ll have ya waitin’ here, if ya could, while I make sure it’s safe.”

“Of course, Clyde. I won’t move,” Rey said, giving him another of her million watt smiles, which made his hace flush as he walked into the parking garage, his eyes now sweeping across every inch of space for any signs of danger. His earpiece crackled, Earl’s voice coming through as he said, “Carriage has been cleared and is on it’s way, Miner.”

“Copy that,” Clyde answered, finishing his sweep of the level of the parking garage and heading back to where Rey waited. 

“All good?” She asked with a small smile, and Clyde nodded.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re just waitin’ for the car.”

“Please, Clyde, call me Rey. You’ve been calling me ma’am since you started working with me, I think we are past the formality now - don’t you think?” 

“Yes, ma’am - Rey. If that’s what ya want.”

“It is.” Rey pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and Clyde found it to be far more intriguing than it should have been, so he focused his attention on the parking garage once more, tracking the approaching headlights until the sleek, black limousine pulled up in front of the doorway. Clyde threw up one long finger to indicate she should wait for him to give her the okay, and she simply nodded as he stepped through the doorway and back into the parking garage. After scanning the vehicle himself, Clyde opened the thick steel door and beckoned for Rey to follow him. Once she had slid into the leather clad back seat, he closed her door, jogging around the back to the other side, where he slid in across from her.

His eyes went to the window as the driver started to maneuver them to the street, and Rey asked softly, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

“Nah,” Clyde replied, giving her a half smile, his eyes moving to hers briefly before going back to window. “When I got somethin’ ta say I will.” He scanned the streets, looking back at her when she spoke again.

“You like to read, though. I always see you reading when you are off duty at home. What are you reading right now? I’ve been devouring books since I was a small girl.” Rey sat forward eagerly, her bright hazel eyes meeting his in the dim light of the limo.

“Oh, yeah, I’m readin’ some Edgar Allen Poe right now.  _ The Tell Tale Heart and Other Writings _ . After that I got  _ Fahrenheit 451 _ ta read again. Ya ever read ‘em?” Clyde’s eyes had lightened, sparkling as he talked about reading. It was something not many people knew about him. Oh, Clyde knew how people viewed him - had always viewed him. He was a dimwitted hick from West Virginia. Clyde let people think that - because then he could blend in easier, despite his height and build.

Rey nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling as she quoted the  _ Tell Tale Heart _ from memory. “ Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded –with what caution –with what foresight –with what dissimulation I went to work!” She sat back in her seat, her smile widening as Clyde let a full smile grace his lips. “I have taken a few English Lit classes at Cornell.”

“Apparently ya have. Readin’ is a good escape from things.” Clyde looked outside as the car slowed, pulling up in front of the hotel. “Stay inside ‘til I give ya the signal, alright?” Clyde turned to look at her, not opening his door until she had nodded her understanding to him.

He got out of the limo, looking around as he circled the car. A doorman approached, earning a wicked glare from Clyde, as well as a “Back it up, there, friend, I’ll see the Lady inside.”

“Y-yes, sir,” the much smaller man uttered before going back to the door. 

Clyde gazed around again before deeming the area safe enough for him to open Rey’s door, ducking and peering inside at her. “All clear, ma-Rey. Ya can slide on out now.”

“Thank you, Clyde,” Rey said with a smile, sliding out of the car. She waited for Clyde to nod his head slightly before heading inside, and as the walked, Rey realized something.

Clyde made her feel safe, and she didn’t mind following his directions. Somehow, she knew he was the one person she could trust implicitly, and that knowledge gave her comfort.

As Clyde stood outside Rey’s door waiting for her to get ready for the dinner, he tried to keep his attention focused on anything that might seem amiss - anything that might prove to be a hidden danger. Unfortunately, his scans of the hallway only yielded luxurious carpet and wallpaper that probably cost a year’s worth of his wages.

His comm crackled, and Earl’s voice came through as he let everyone know they had an hour until they had to be at the dinner, and Clyde reached back, rapping on the door with his knuckles.

“Yes?” Rey called from inside, and Clyde half turned so he could speak through the door. “Hour until you need to be at the dinner, Rey.”

“Thank you, Clyde. I should be ready in fifteen minutes or so.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Clyde said softly, wondering if she was going to be wearing the perfume she only put on for special occasions. It was floral and almost intoxicating to him, and even though Clyde knew it was completely unprofessional to have such thoughts, he always had the urge to lean in and sniff her neck gently. That would be crossing a line he could never cross though, no matter how attractive she was. Because Rey was incredibly attractive, and Clyde knew he had to keep it professional - because if he had ever gotten to touch her, or taste her in any other way, he would be a goner. Her smile already brightened his day.

He had to remain focused on her safety only. No more oversharing his personal life. No more moments like they had shared in the limo. He was there to protect her, not be her friend - and most certainly not to be a romantic interest.

Finally, the door behind him opened, and Clyde turned to see Rey standing in the doorway, dressed in an absolutely breathtaking dress, her makeup accentuating her already gorgeous features, and despite his best effort, Clyde felt his heart rate increase at the sight of her. He swallowed thickly while she smiled up at him, and the scent of her perfume -  _ that perfume _ \- drifted to his nose and causing him to remind himself one more time to keep it professional.

“They did tell you to bring a suit jacket, tie and dress slacks, didn’t they?” Rey looked him up and down, smiling softly at him. For some reason, he didn’t feel like she was judging him at all - unlike what most people made him feel like.

“Yes,” he replied. “I was waitin’ ‘til ya were ready to change, in case somethin’ happened. If ya step back inside and promise not to let anyone in but me, I’ll go get changed.” Clyde lifted one side of his lips, not looking in her eyes, but past them at a spot on the wall.

“Of course, Clyde. I’ll follow your instructions.”

Clyde nodded and moved down the hall to the next room, finally gulping in fresh, non Rey smelling air once he was inside. It’s not that she smelled bad - in fact, it was quite the opposite. She smelled divine, especially with the perfume she had on today.

He had to pull it together. He had to stop thinking about her in any other way than as the person he was protecting.

It took him ten minutes to dress, and as he fumbled with his tie he huffed out a breath of pure annoyance, straightening it one last time and tugging at his shirt to make sure his gig line was straight and tucked into his dress slacks right. Satisfied that he looked passable, Clyde headed back to Rey’s room, rapping in her door three times in quick succession before saying her name.

The door opened a crack, Rey’s eyes meeting his before she opened it completely to allow him entrance. Clyde stepped inside, feeling self conscious for a moment as Rey’s eyes swept over him - approval showing in the hazel depths of her eyes.

“You clean up well, Mr. Logan, but your tie is crooked. May I?” Rey gestured to his tie, and Clyde nodded, his face turning red as she leaned close, her delicate hands moving to the knot of fabric resting at his Adam’s apple. She loosened it before retying it and centering it, humming a small sound of approval as she did so. Her hands moved to his lapels next, straightening those as well, as well as smoothing the material on his broad shoulders.

“There you are, all put together again. Shall we go?”

….

  
  
  
  


It had been a wonderful feeling to help Clyde, to be that close to him again. Their first meeting had surely thrown her for a loop, what with running into him and all. There had been a softness to him that Rey would get hints of here and there. The promise of a deeper character would feed her interest just enough each time to return with special morsels from her own life to encourage him with.

Happening to have the allowance to help her bodyguard sent a thrill through her, one that was sure to follow her for the remainder of the night.

Each step forward on the soft ornate rug under her heel had been a deliberate one. Rey, while usually in some kind of control of her surroundings, had been fighting with her nerves while she stayed within step with Clyde. Questions began to swirl inside her mind about it, that is, until they’d made it to the open set of French doors leading into the dining room

The room itself was gorgeous, just like every other room they’d visited today. Each had their own elegance. Ivory walls were ribbed, sectioning off the spaces between tall windows parallel from each other, allowing the fading light of the day to add to their ambiance. Across the way from the door they had entered was a large stone fireplace, which had not been set for this occasion. Rey’s eye caught on the President and his family waiting nearby.

While she’d known them for a while, she still considered them a young family. President Ulrich "Ueli" Maurer and his wife Anne-Claude Peter, as well as their six children had been in good health last time they had spoken, welcoming the last son, Liam to their loving family. The thought of Liam being just about three now made her wonder where the time went. She went along with sharing sentiments of joy Rey truly believed, unlike many of the politicians that were elsewhere. She truly loved this family, because they were more.

Diego, Nico, and Ana had already progressed into their teen years, readying themselves to serve alongside their father. They were quick witted, yet soft, an energy not many still possessed. Nora - now nine - was the spitting image of her mother now that she’d grown into a young lady from the tiny six year old Rey remembered her as. Matteo finally felt like a man now that he was four, which was a riot watching him stand next to their family bodyguards, whispering to himself as if he were one. Finally, there was Liam, who was now three and dressed to impress, despite the obvious messes he’d surely be making tonight. Rey loved that about them, though. Anne-Claude was such a lovely mother who wanted their family time together even at dinners where anything could happen. 

“I love this,” Rey said, motioning to the tall glass candelabra with an array of gorgeous flowers wrapped around its stem.

Nora’s hands flew to her lips, trying to suppress her squeal. Her mother outed her as she did.

“Nora? You did these?” Rey’s eyebrows raised significantly, waiting for the young girl’s response.

“Yes, Rey, I came up with the idea, but I had help,” Nora said, playing with her laced fingers.

“It’s outstanding,” Rey replied. “You truly have a gift.”

The girl couldn’t help herself, begging to switch places with her brother Diego so that she could sit beside Rey. It was flattering, for sure, and definitely wonderful not to sit in on another round of debates about possible allies versus enemies. Tonight, to Rey, was about catching up with one of her favorite families, and so the change had been welcome.

Several courses had come and gone - each being explained by her little hostess. Each made her wonder about Clyde. She’d checked on him time and again, doing her best not to make it a scene. She could feel his presence, but with the current events as they were, she always felt better when they made eye contact. It had been one final time that she turned, looking back at him, when the light in the room darkened as night fell that called him to change position.

Clyde moved as he always had, as a unit. She knew there was a reason for it, which maybe at some point he would share with her, but for now, catching a glimpse of his mouth moving ever so slightly and a nod to Earl made her feel at ease. She’d looked away just for a moment, smiling at the very thought that he’d picked a space to stand off to the side, but surely in front of her. He’d done it a few times in other locations, making sure she could see the whites of his eyes - and tonight had been no different.

After a few glances to the side of Ana, dessert was served, and Nora noticed.

“Is he yours?” the young lady whispered to Rey, with her head bowed forward so as not to gain attention.

Rey could feel her cheeks burn at the question, promising herself it had to be the warmth from the candles overhead.

“Your bodyguard? I share mine with Ana. His name is Leo, and he’s my best friend beside Lea Marie at school.”

Oh! Oh…Rey chuckled, her smile widening as she realized Nora’s question.

“Yes, he’s mine,” Rey said, locking eyes with him once more before informing the girl of his name. 

“Do you think Clyde would like something? I can have them make a plate for him.” Rey’s eyes widened at the sound of her kindness.

“Nora, it’s sweet of you, it really is, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to enjoy it while he’s working. Right now, while we’re enjoying your food and hospitality, he’s working just as every other guard here.”

Nora chews on her lip, thinking about this as she goes.

“Is your napkin dirty?” she asked.

Rey managed to look down at her lap to find the thick cloth napkin completely intact. Not even a thread was stained.

Nora nodded again with news of her plan.

“People always overlook them—“ the girl said, looking at her own bodyguard. “Don’t feel bad, take what you want to give. I’ll create a diversion.”

Rey, however, wasn’t sure what to take. She knew her favorites, but what if Clyde didn’t like something she added?

The girl passes a chocolate orb of sorts, decorated with a dusting of edible gold dust to her brother Matteo, who puts it on his baby brother’s setting to avoid eating “dust”. Their diversion works like a charm. Liam has not only smushed the delicate chocolate shell into shards of itself, but has also found and flung the chocolate ice cream inside. The very sight of the fiasco has Rey wanting to slide back and help, but Nora nods slightly at her mother who laughs at the ordeal, claiming that his bath time will actually be worth it tonight.

“What’s he like?” Nora asks, pulling Rey back to their initiative.

“Well,” Rey starts and smiles softly. “He’s strong... and makes me feel safe...”

Nora smiles, reaching for a star shaped set cream wrapped in a thin wall of chocolate. “This always reminds me about all they cover, and how delicate our world could be without them.”

It’s as if Nora could read Rey’s mind. It was such an adult concept for a nine year old girl to understand how fragile life is.

“What else?” the girl asks, excited to help select another.

“He’s been a hard one to crack—for good reason, I’m sure. Though,” Rey thinks of his share in the limo, adding, “there seems like there’s so much more to know.”

Her little hand reached for another paper cup, for a small stack of three different chocolate barks, then to another plate to gather cookies. Of them were pepparkakor, which are a delicately and sparingly iced ginger cookie, and rosenmunmar - that Rey personally loved. Their balance of dough to jam was just wonderful, especially so if they had a fig spread to fill the pressed part of the cookie. Heirloom cookies, covered in powdered sugar, were her absolute favorite, despite the mess though… and she worried about ruining Clyde’s suit in the event that he even handled one of them. Nora insisted, because they were special to this place, and she very specifically said to put them at the bottom of the napkin, too. Finally, Rey’s little helper points to yet another dish for Rey to take from. While they were works of art, these were of the messier items, and most likely wouldn’t make it. In the center of the plate, however, was what Nora was after.

“It’s a Punsch-roll,” she said nodding at the treat. “It’s served on the ends of the table so the children aren’t tempted. Mother says I’m not old enough to enjoy them yet.”

Rey, who knew of them, simply agreed.

It wasn’t long before Nora’s mother had gotten up to take care of Liam, halting the two for a moment. Once the coast was clear, Rey flicked her gaze back up to Clyde’s, who had been watching her intently. She could feel the weight of his stare move with her, and it made her wonder just how he would receive such a gesture. Would he?

Nora wrapped up the napkin, signaling Rey to open her purse so that they could move from the table when dinner wrapped up without being caught red handed. 

Rey’s eyes dropped to her purse, opening it just so to help Nora situate the treats with expert care - making her wonder just how many times Nora practiced this. 

“I’ll see you get your napkin back,” Rey grinned, and the girl rolled her eyes. “And my truest gratitude. You have an old soul and will do great things, I just know it.”

Nora’s eyes sparkled under the glowing light of the pooling candles. Rey had seen it then, how much it moved her to hear those words. 

“Thank you!” the girl squealed, hugging Rey tightly around the waist.

“No, no... thank you,” Rey said, dropping to her knees to hug the girl properly. Sure her mother would have something to say about stepping on a strapless dress--what she could have accidentally done, but it didn’t matter. Not then. 

\----

Once again, it’s time to move, which gets Rey in the rhythm, focusing completely on Clyde, his movements and his orders. It’s lulling, in a way, to have him near, protecting the both of them while they make their way out as one unit. Her family has had time to change, pack, and situate themselves in individual limos, which had been frightening to Rey. The very idea of having to split up had been unnerving -but Clyde was there with his blend of quiet surveillance, on high alert. So long as she had him, her nerves couldn’t get the best of her. If they were together, she’d always be safe.

Night engulfed their trio of black limousines, cloaking them in a dark blanket of false security. Thanks to that stupid death threat, Rey was looking out the same windows as Clyde did, hoping she would see the problem, if one were to arise, when he did so she could be prepared. 

Luckily, there was no such problem, the threats of the night were just shadows in her mind - all of which could be left the moment she stepped foot on their flight to Australia. There she could sleep away the stress of the outside world and maybe, just maybe, find the courage to give Clyde his sweets. 

….

It was his job to keep Rey safe at all costs. But Clyde had to admit - she was different. She wasn’t some stuffy, stuck up English socialite, or an uppity Senator’s wife. No, Rey was different. She smiled at everyone she met, and not a fake smile for the cameras, but a genuine, million watt smile. She put people at ease, as well, Clyde had observed. Even now, sitting beside the President’s young daughter, Rey acted as if she was having the time of her life. She looked up, catching his eye as his comm went off and he answered Earl. She gave him the tiniest of smiles, and he gave her a small smile back as he looked around the room, ready to jump into action if needed.

He had never seen so much finery in all his life, though, and it was hard not to get caught up in the sheer beauty of it all. Rey was, by far, the most fetching of all the ladies, with a burgundy dress that hugged her figure in all the right places.He shouldn’t even be pondering how beautiful she looked in it - but he was a man, and he noticed pretty ladies from time to time. It was just the way things were.

Clyde couldn’t help but chuckle as he caught sight of the President’s youngest son, making a mess of some treat in front of him. He remembered when his Sadiebug, his niece, had been that little. She had loved to play in the dirt, or helping his brother Jimmy “fix” his truck.

He let his eyes sweep across the room once more, and when they made their way back to Rey, she was watching him, a silly little smile on her face. She looked like she had pulled off some kind of plan or something, and Clyde wondered if she had a mischievous side. He supposed he’d find that out when she went off to college. He hoped she wouldn’t be one a typical party girl, like he’d seen in Charlotte or Myrtle Beach, even, on spring break. Somehow, Clyde didn’t think Rey was that type. She was a Lady, after all.

Finally, the whole affair was over, and as Clyde checked in with Earl, letting him know he was set to escort Rey to a waiting limo. After clearing the limo himself, Clyde gave Rey the signal to move, pleased at how well she listened to him and followed his orders. She never questioned him, just trusting that he knew how best to keep her safe.

And he did. He would take a bullet for her if he had to. It was his job, after all.

Although, late at night, Clyde wondered if he didn’t think a little too fondly of his charge. He tried not to think about how beautiful she was, or the way whatever room she was in lit up when she smiled. He tried not to think about her laugh, and how musical it sounded. He tried not to think about how kind she was to everyone she met, and how every single person she interacted with walked away feeling like they were special.

Rey had a gift, and Clyde didn’t think she even realized just how special she was. Of course, he could never tell her any of this, nor about how often he caught himself watching her, even when he was off duty.

As he opened the door for her, giving her a smile, he noticed how stiff she was, and the slight shaking in her hands. She was terrified, and Clyde wanted to comfort her, but all he could do was stand guard, acting as her personal fortress against what was haunting her. It only took him one time of looking into her eyes to see she was haunted - although from which death threat he wasn’t certain. It had to be terrifying to her, knowing someone was out there who wanted to cause her - and those she loved - pain and suffering. Clyde remembered what it felt like to know you were being hunted, but there was a difference for him. He had signed paperwork indicating he wanted that life, that he wanted to serve his country. Rey hadn’t. She just wanted to live her life and help people.

He had to be on alert, every moment. If something happened to her - Clyde knew it would be different from any other client for him.  _ She _ was different. Clyde looked out the window the whole way to the airport, and when they arrived, he waited for his signal to come from Earl, gritting out his reply with one word, “Affirmative.”

He opened his door and stepped onto the tarmac beside the private jet, looking around and waiting until Earl nodded at him before leaning down and giving Rey a small smile. “All clear, Rey.” As she slid out of the limo, falling into step beside him, Clyde kept his eyes moving the whole time until they were on the plane, looking for any small sign of something being amiss. He breathed a sigh of relief once they were on the plane, and as it taxied down the runway and he met with the rest of the team in their designated ready room, he offered Rey another small smile as he walked past her seat.

….

Once they had settled onto a schedule for “patrolling” during the twenty-one hour flight to Australia, Clyde settled into his rack to grab some shuteye before his graveyard shift, letting the plane lull him into sleep.

Five hours later found Clyde up and dressed once more, a cup of coffee from the flight attendant in hand as he sat in one of the seats, gazing out the window at the darkness. He had always found a sense of calm while flying, and a sense of peace. With a book in his other hand, Clyde focused on the pages in front of him finally, looking up only when he felt another presence step into the small alcove with him.

Rey was fidgety, turning over a small covered package in her hands as she gave him a rather shy smile, licking her lips before stating, “I, um… I wanted to say thank you for protecting me and making me feel safe, and… well, I didn’t know if you got to try any of the desserts tonight - so I saved some for you.” She thrust the package out at him, and Clyde smiled at her, chuckling as he took the gift.

“So, that’s what ya were up to at dinner. I saw ya had a little accomplice, too. I got a niece about her age…” Clyde unwrapped the treats, grinning as he spied the chocolates and other desserts Rey and Nora had collected. “Ya know, maybe I oughta think of changin’ your codename from ‘Daisy’ ta ‘Squirrel’ or somethin’. Back home, the squirrels carry off everythin’ they can find to hide away for winter - not that we get mucha one in West Virginia, see. Heck, we even eat ‘em, my brother is one helluva shot when it comes ta squirrel huntin’.”

Rey slid into the seat next to Clyde as he talked, fascinated by learning just a little more about him, and the life he lived when he wasn’t working. “Y-You eat them? Those cute little creatures I see scurrying around campus all the time?” Rey raised an eyebrow at Clyde, and he nodded his head, grinning.

“Yep, sure do. Cook ‘em up with some potatoes and carrots and what not. Makes for a good meal. Mellie - that’s my little sister - she makes up some of her famous biscuits and some brown gravy. Yeah, it’s a good meal, for sure.”

Rey tried not to look shocked, even as Clyde chuckled again. “Naw, you’re definitely ‘daisy’ instead of ‘squirrel’. I think my codename for ya will stay. Flowers are prettier than those little beasts any day.” Clyde immediately flushed, realizing he may have crossed a line. He gulped and continued on, hoping she wouldn’t say anything about his slip up. “Thank ya for these, though, Rey. It’s mighty nice of ya to think about savin’ these back for me.”

Rey flushed at Clyde’s words - was he saying he thought she was pretty? Biting her bottom lip shyly, Rey let her eyes wander down to his large hands before they travelled back up to meet his chocolate brown eyes. “W-Where did you get my codename from anyways?”

“Oh. Ya were wearin’ these big ole earrings in the dossier picture of ya. They reminded me of daisies - so Daisy ya are.” Clyde gave her a smile before choosing one of the chocolates and plopping it into his mouth. Letting the delicious treat melt in his mouth, Clyde took a moment to enjoy it before looking at Rey. “That was incredible, thank ya again, Rey.”

As the night wore on and the miles flew past, the plane grew quiet, with everyone but he, a weary looking flight attendant, and one of the pilots awake. Clyde made his way through the plane on his rounds, stopping outside Rey’s door. Hearing nothing, he continued on, turning around once he had walked the whole length of the large aircraft. Settling into his seat once more, coffee and his book in hand, Clyde enjoyed the quiet of the night until he had to do rounds once more.

Another hour passed, and the sound of a door opening echoed throughout the passenger compartment, causing Clyde to lift his eyes from his book, his body instantly aware and ready to spring into action if needed. Rey appeared, tears in her eyes and hair disheveled, her body shaking still with tears. Her eyes met his, and she was practically running to him, her slender frame crashing into his as she threw her arms around him.

Clyde wanted to gather her in his arms properly, but instead he patted her back a couple of times, muttering a soft “There, there, Rey…” before settling her into the seat next to where he had been sitting just a minute previously.

Rey sniffled a few more times, and Clyde sat down next to her, handing her an unopened bottle of water he had intended to drink himself. She uncapped and took a long swallow before twisting the cap back on and looking at Clyde, swiping her hand over her eyes.

“Ya got nightmares, dontcha?” Clyde asked quietly, watching as Rey nodded her head. “Yeah, me too, ‘specially after I came back after being deployed. Dreams are funny things, ya know? They can show us our desires, or our fears. Never in between, it seems. Ya okay now? Why dontcha sit here for a spell, lemme do my rounds, then if ya need to talk more, we can, sound good?” 

Rey sniffled and nodded once more. Clyde looked around for a moment before locating a box of tissues, pulling one out and handing it to her before patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Ya stay here, mind?” Without waiting to see her reaction, he walked off, making his rounds across the aircraft and back.

As he settled back into the seat next to her, Rey smiled shyly at him, biting her bottom lip before speaking. “I’m sorry. This dream was really bad. Thank you for being here… I-I feel safe when you’re around. I know you would never let anyone hurt me.”

Clyde nodded slightly. “You’re right. I won’t let anyone or anythin’ hurt ya if it’s in my power to stop it. Here…” Clyde handed her one of the small airplane pillows. “Settle yourself back into the seat while ya calm down. It’s late. If ya start ta feel sleepy, let me know and I’ll walk with ya back to your cabin.”

Clyde helped Rey recline the seat, and as her white, sheer nightgown slid up a bit, he tried not to let his eyes wander too far from her face.

“Clyde?”

“Yeah, sw-Rey?” Clyde’s eyes met hers, and Rey sat the seat back up. 

“Is it ok if I just… lean up against your shoulder instead? I… I need to feel safe.” Her hazel eyes were shining with unshed tears, and Clyde swallowed hard, finally nodding.

“Sure. C’mere then.”

He settled back in his seat, and as Rey settled against his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh,Clyde tried to ignore how right it felt for her to be there, almost as if she belonged. If he moved his arm around her back, just a few tiny inches, her head would fit perfectly on his chest….

_ No. Stop that, Logan. Ya can’t be thinkin’ like that. _

  
  


Rey sighed again and closed her eyes, and after a few minutes she drifted off to sleep. Once her breathing had evened out, Clyde gently laid her back in her seat, covering her with his suit jacket so she wouldn’t get too chilly in the climate controlled air.

When Rey woke in the morning, she was in her bed, Clyde’s jacket laid out on top of her still. As she sat up, a small smile came to her lips as she noticed the chocolate perched on her nightstand, alongside a note. 

_ Everyone saves back some food for later, especially squirrels. -C _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [Reylo4](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reylo4) for the gorgeous moodboard for this chapter! :)

[](https://ibb.co/m6tT9sg)

The trip to and from Australia had been several days of meet and greets, dinners, and pressing matters had been handled behind closed doors, of course, but the trip as a whole had been calm at the very least. Despite the very fact of the matter, Rey’s nightmares continued with one in particular her mind seemed to be wanting to sort out - and so it would replay nearly every time she’d gone for bed. 

Clyde had been wonderful through it all though. She assumed it was because she’d given in and confirmed that she was having nightmares. It hadn’t been like her to do such a thing, call out for help based on a scary dream. What would her parents think of her? She wasn’t a child anymore...so she shouldn’t need this help, or so she thought. Clyde’s support both in and out of sleep started to blur the time together, making her skip the evening coffee she’d usually request right before bed. 

Each night Rey fixed to sit next to Clyde, sometimes in silence, other times to read with him, but her most cherished moments were when he’d talk about home. Sleep came a little easier because of it. Rey found she loved this part of her day more than any other - making it quite a bit harder to focus on her duties. 

They arrived home in the afternoon, which thrust her father and her into impromptu meetings discussing, who else? Initiates of the First Order had been vocal in recent days via what could only have been pre recorded messages due to the lack of fluency. They claimed to cause significant damage at coordinates that hadn’t been hit. 

“It seems like a diversion,” Rey claimed for the fourth time in the last six hours. 

It was late. Rey could feel it in her bones as she reiterated why she thought so, yet again, that night. 

“If you focus all our efforts in these places, won’t we—“

“We have to protect the area, Rey,” her father’s voice grew louder. 

“And not everyone else? What if it’s a trap? What if they’re toying with us—you.”

The chatter in the room grew, speculating as they went until her father finally hollered. 

“Rey!”

His eyes met hers, challenging her to speak even though he had no desire to hear anymore. 

Rey, despite her efforts, knew she’d been excused. She bit her cheek so as to stay in check, there had been media crews surrounding the area and reporters ready to sell their limbs to get a shot of her in any sort of distress. It was time to control her emotions - she could argue with herself later, at home, where no one could see her bend her brow or mouth off to an invisible audience. She snapped her gaze from the reports on her desk to Clyde to call him on. 

“Thank you, father. I’ll see myself out,” Rey closed her eyes and proceeded to leave. 

She knew the room inside and out. Her eyes lowered a beat more before she snapped out of it.

Rey didn’t need to ask, she just knew the way Clyde was by now. His body language said it all, and right now, the way he’d been angled beside her told her it was time to move. 

. . . 

Home was quiet. 

Her siblings were most likely in bed, and her mom may have been up watching BBC to help her wind down from the day as well. Being that it was well past ten when they came in, Rey wouldn’t have been surprised if she fell asleep with it on. 

“D’ya want company tonight, Rey? Ya look stressed ta say it in a word,” Clyde offered. 

It had been sweet of him to offer, which brought a smile back to her lips. Rey nodded when they reached her room, asking for a moment so she could get changed before hand. She didn’t miss the way he tugged at his tie or the way he tensed a little. 

“I don’t have to, I just thought I might since it’s late and...” 

“Ya don’t have ta be explainin’. Do what ya need ta ‘n I’ll be just outside here waitin’ for ya,” Clyde assured her pointing over to the sitting place across the hall.

At her nod, Clyde backed away. She’d been quicker than normal, bubbly and warm instead of on the ready to rip into her imaginary audience. Maybe she could talk it out later. For now? Now it was time to get ready for reading with her favorite person, Clyde.

Cuddling was more like it. 

On the plane, she had spied a line on his open page, and jerked a little when he’d turned the page. Rey smiles at the memory, throwing on her nightgown and fluffing her hair to make it fall just so. She also made absolutely sure to wash her the makeup off her face so as not to ruin his suit, she told herself. It in no way had anything to do with his compliment. He’d said he was sure she didn’t need it, instead following it up with promising she was pretty without it. Rey remembered he was unbearably quiet, for the rest of the day and into the following morning after that, so off it went. Rey hopes he’d meant what he said, but even now she wondered if this had become too much. 

He did ask her though. If he initiated, it couldn’t be, could it?

She’d moved to the door, opening it slowly so she didn’t seem too eager, surprised when she’d seen him leaning against the wall next to her door instead.

“What happened to relaxing in the chair?”

She cocked her head to the side, genuinely curious about his decision. 

Clyde stuck his finger in the book a few pages back from her bookmark before answering. “Oh, ya see, the chair there, it creaked when I went ta sit in it and I didn’t need ta break somethin’ tonight.”

Rey was sure she’d never get over that shy smile after he’d said something thoughtful. Instead of dwelling on the whys and why nots, Rey motioned him into her room. There she had a couch and chair set instead of the arm chair and desk she had originally. It in no way had anything to do with Clyde being around, rather that her brother decided he had wanted it to replace what he had in their room. Even so, she hoped that their reading sessions could remain private, and that seemed like the right thing to do to handle it. 

The two sat as they always had, Rey leaning on his shoulder while Clyde held the book with two hands until he needed to turn the page, of course. Several times he’d gone to use his right, calling attention to himself, which had Rey nearly clawing to get back to her perch. She’d check with him to see if it was okay, each time she received a slight smirk and nod before starting up again. It had gone on and on until she fell asleep. 

There was nothing tonight. No sounds, no fury, only deep sleep. Thank you, Clyde, her mind offered a glimpse of his face tonight, fond memories, glittering lights which soon was swallowed whole. That frightened place in her mind opened up and pulled her down.

Tonight’s nightmare came on differently, all falling to a point in the churning skies...down...until it met the horizon. Out there was a sea of safety of red and blue flashing lights and screaming sirens, all of which silenced themselves forming one high continuous pitch. Her inner alarm told her to run and stay at the same time. 

Dust and debris fall into view. The vibrations of explosions fracture foundations, blowing shards of storefront windows in every direction. People scream and children cry, all unseen, but all in imminent danger. Footfalls stomp off in every direction - sounding more like an avalanche of terror... 

Rey begins to feel the desperation of life, hands grab, push, and pull at her for survival which calls on her own desperation. She can feel herself stretch around looking for something, anything to help her pry these people off of her, finally connecting with a what feels like an exposed steel reinforcement beam, Rey hauls it over her shoulder. She’s ready to strike, wildly swinging into the night.

The sound of a crash alerted her of more unseen danger this time, out beyond where she believed safety lied. A thump and several downward slashes with the heavy item has her halting worries she might not make it. The darkness would swallow her alive!

A voice she knows calls to her there. A force pulls her weapon from her, but she’s desperate to hold on. The person’s thumb pushes at her grip, releasing it as they go. The soothing voice crashes upon her the way she assumes waves in the ocean would, had she ever been.

Finally detached from the bar, Rey screams, “No!”

“C’mon Rey, Darlin’,” Clyde winces, holding his shoulder. “C’mon... I need ya to wake up.”

It took her a while longer to process the fact that she wasn’t alone or living that alternate reality. Her frown bent down rapidly when she’d seen him wielding her source of sanity. He’d rolled his shoulder once, then again before dropping the item to the floor. 

“Clyde?” Rey whimpered, lurching forward towards him. “I-I didn’t hit you, did I?” Her eyes filled immediately at his nod. “I’m sorry!” Rey cried, jumping to her toes to hug him. “I-I didn’t mean to. I-“ 

Without a second thought her lips had pressed into the fabric of his jacket. One and then the next crossed the cuff of his shoulder, lining his collar along the seam. She’d added love lower than that too, hoping she didn’t create any lasting damage. The thought that she could have stung her, urging her to make sure she hadn’t marked his neck too. 

Her panic ebbed by the time she’d made it to the fold at his collar finding no red mark below it. Rey’s eyes closed trying to give herself the strength to look up at him again. Her breath shook before she crossed that line, the very one she toed on their flight to Australia. He’d been so good to her, sweet about treats, accepting them as he did, then saving her from her nightmare, that a pit of need grew in her belly. 

Rey carded her fingers through his hair, still holding him tightly against her, thankful for his endless support. She’d begun to thank him for all he’s done for her. 

“I’ve never felt safer with anyone else as I do when you’re near,” she admitted, lifting her gaze to his parted lips, up into his impossibly dark eyes that had been trained on her. In this moment Clyde Logan had become both all she could see and all she ever wanted to. 

Her eyes dropped from his at his silence. Rey knew she had to be the one that took the leap of faith, the one to cross that line, and so she leaned that much closer to him, brushing the tip of her nose against his. To her surprise his hold on her intensified. She could feel it in the wanting way he pressed his palms against the fabric of her nightgown. Rey felt as though he was steadying himself there, his own gasp mirrored hers the moment her lips brushed his. 

To her surprise, Clyde didn’t make any moves to back away. He stayed with her as he always had, deepening their kiss.

Alive. Rey felt alive and treasured the way his tongue danced with hers. Clyde Logan made her feel many things all at once, making her tear up all over again. 

“Check in,” Rey heard a voice call to him within his ear piece, halting their exploration for long enough for Clyde to respond.

His heavy breathing had been hard to swallow, but he managed to handle it speaking to Earl before leaning in for yet another kiss before a rapping had startled them from each other. 

“_ What happened in here _?” Rey’s mother did her best not to holler at her daughter. It had been evident that she would have further raised her voice, but it was late, and her siblings were sleeping in the next room. 

Besides clobbering Clyde, Rey had also damaged the nightstand, destroyed one of her fancy lamps - which laid in shards of itself on the hardwood floor, and put a hole in the wall, none of which Rey is aware of, that is, until her mother flicked on the lights in the cathedral ceiling. 

“I—“ Rey trailed, blankly staring at the mess on the floor. 

“Don’t,” Clyde warned her. “It isn’t safe for ya,” he said nodding at her bare feet.

“Oh,” Rey frowned, watching Clyde lean down to clean up the area. 

“How did this even happen?” 

“Nightmare, ma’am,” Clyde responded. 

“And... why are you in her room?” Elizabeth questioned.

“I had reason ta believe Miss Rey here was in danger,” he said, now holding the dismembered light fixture. 

It’s when Rey’s mother looks down at the floor to be sure everything had been picked up that she finds the steel rod.

“Where did you get this?” 

“I—I’ve had it a while. Si-since the random shooter,” she answered. 

“Rey, that was years ago,” her mother stilled. “_ You’ve had this thing for years? _”

Rey’s gaze fell to the floor in shame. She knew she should have told someone, but then it would be all over the news. She didn’t need some media troll telling her story to make her out to be some little fledgling that couldn’t stand up for the country. She needed to be strong.

“Yes mum,” Rey replied, hoping to be done with this conversation sooner rather than later. She hated the feeling of being judged by her mother, but it felt that much worse that Clyde had been in the room for it. She could feel, rather than see, the muscle under his eye twitch, and his tell tale concern roll off of him in waves despite his stillness. He oozes protection, even now. Not that she thought he would take her down if he sensed distress - because well, she’s her mother, but because it just seemed to be his thing... like she was far more than some job to him. 

Her mother nodded and fetched the item from the floor. 

“I think you need some time to gather yourself away from all of this. School starts in a few weeks. Why don’t you clear up your schedule here and head out to Ithaca to give yourself some peace?”

Rey knew her mother and her foresight, but never thought she would be willing to make such an offer without Rey’s father’s input. The fact of the matter had Rey nodding a slowly. Yes, she thought, time away is just what she needed.

“Alright,” Rey nodded. “We... should probably get Clyde some ice, too.”

. . . 

Her home away from home had been missed to a degree. She missed her friends more than the space. To her, it was a large space to hide in, despite the amount of land her family had surrounding the property. Clyde stood beside her outside of the car, and she felt rather than saw his reaction. 

“I know,” she offered simply. 

“Ya know?” his question seemed to catch her off guard. 

“All the space. It may be pretentious, but necessary...”

“Necessary...” they said at the same time. 

Rey nodded, then worried at the sight of him taking a look around before motioning to her over to him.

She couldn’t help but want to, but they’d been out in the open, despite the fact that the property was fenced in and had surveillance, it wouldn’t stop someone from trying to capture them on camera. It wasn’t what they needed, and so she stood as she always had, beside him professionally.

Heavy footsteps and squealing could be heard where the two stand, to which Rey only smirks. Her friends, while loyal, can be quite the handful, especially to a newcomer. She knew, however, that Clyde would fair well enough, especially after being with her family for events and her siblings - who could just grate on people’s nerves... but her roommates were more than that. They were strong willed, opinionated and extremely loyal, which meant they were always on guard, and not just anyone would penetrate their sisterhood. 

“So, about my friends...” Rey follows Clyde iIn, despite the noise. 

She knows he checked the dossiers on them several times, asking questions on each individual on the way out. Rey explained how lovely each one was in their own way regardless of the way he studied them. She supposed his intensity is why she felt comfortable with him from the start, but now it seemed like more than that. He was protecting what was his. Rey smiled at that, being “more” to him… to someone that made her feel like she mattered.

“Rey!” Rose flew by, “I thought you weren’t going to be in until,” she paused. Rose’s brow furrowed just slightly when she asked why. 

“Mental health,” Rey started.

“Ditching the douchebag?” Another girl mentioned. It wasn’t quite a question, but could be taken as one. Rey wondered if it was Jess or Kaydel - being there was no tone there. It was flat, ungiving, like a burlap sack.

Rose’s eyes rolled hard to her right, pinning the culprit where she stood before continuing, “And you chose going off to school as a relaxing place? I’d say you needed to go on a cruise or something to get away.”

“Well, I’d rather be here. It’s far enough away to feel away,” Rey answered.

While it wasn’t a question to Rose as to who the remark had come from, it still was to Rey who happened to look where Rose did.

It was Jess - she should have known.

Jess never really showed any sort of emotion when she spoke unless it was forced out of her. Rey always knew it was her when she’d deviate from any of their conversations to chase something she found funny or entertaining in any way too, therefore, it couldn’t be Kaydel. 

“‘See you traded up,” Jess nodded her head the same way she always complained all the guys she ever knew did. 

“Traded?” Rey questioned. 

“She’s talking about your bodyguard boyfriend,” Rose snorted. Rose turned from Rey, readjusting her floral headband before throwing her hand out to the man to shake his. “I’m Rose. That’s Jess, and Kaydel’s out.“

Clyde extended his hand to hers to shake it, showing surprise when Rose gripped him hard. 

“Clyde,” he offered his name, giving a curt nod when he did.

Rose only beamed, “No floppy fish grip.”

“Kyle?” Jess interrupted. 

Rose bulged her eyes again. 

“The man said Clyde, Jess.” Rose attempted to apologize ahead of time for her friend. “You know, I thought she was just PMSing at first, but after getting to know her, I should just tell you now, she’s doing that on purpose.” Rose folded her arms over her chest, her pale blue cardigan retreating up her forearm when she did as she continued, “Don’t shake your head at me. Jess called my boyfriend “effin” for the better part of three years just because. His name is Finn.”

Rey couldn’t stop shaking her head, trying to find any way to move out of the foyer into at least a sitting room, finding herself asking where Kaydel was if she wasn’t here.

That was a mistake.

Jess threw her head back in the same nod knowing way she would for nearly every remark she’d ever given, replying, “She’s on a date.”

Rey’s first response is in surprise, excited to hear the news. It had been too long. All news at home was usually bad, or messages found linking the First Order back to the excessive terror attacks and abductions. Kaydel, Rey knew, was hard to get close to. She had her own way of doing things, is calculated, sees her path and the thousands of possibilities all at once. For her to give up hers structure to date was one of the grandest things Rey could have ever wished for her, aside from success and the life she wanted to live. 

“She’s not on a date,” Rose rolled not only her eyes, but her head at Jess, “she—“

“With destiny,” Jessika said, cutting off Rose. Her smirk only grew when she could hear, rather than see, Rose’s reaction to her. 

Clyde simply stood by Rey’s side, his one hand holding the other while he surveyed the scene.

“What she means is she’s out speaking with the Dean of Sciences about applying for her field service,” Rose said. 

“Yeah—has nothing to do with the—“

“Jess, I’m telling you...” Rose tries to derail Jess with yet another look that clearly didn’t bother her at all. 

Instead, Jessika’s whole body reacted to her slight chuckle pushing her back into her seat and forward again. “—snake in his pants.”

Rey could feel Clyde’s discomfort. He seemed tense some how, more so than at home.

“Nah,” Jessika’s grin grew, “there’s a girth there. Like it’s too fat to be a snake.”

“Yeah? You study them? Is that it? ‘Cause I’m still not sure undecided is a major. ‘Yer a super senior like me... shouldn’t you be in your masters by now?” Rose quirked her eyebrow at Jess.

“Like it ate something.” 

“Are you even listening?”

Rey turns to Clyde with apologetics eyes. 

“I can assure you it’s not usually like this,” she says. 

Clyde does his best to give a tight smile, still watching their surroundings. He scans the room once, then over his shoulder he sees another figure. She’s thin, like Rey, wearing a white lab coat over a cream colored blouse and black slacks. Her gold flats shimmer when the light hits them too. She speaks with the same dry humor he assumes is coming from Jessika, but with a crispness that suggests she’s older or simply more mature. 

“Ate what? A squirrel? Because I highly doubt you want to ride a squirrel anywhere,” Kaydel doesn’t stop, and instead lists the medical issues associated with such a unit - and just like that the conversation is over. 

. . .

Clyde remembered the first time he had seen the house Rey lived in when she was at college. He thought that he might be able to fit his, Jimmy’s _ and _ Mellie’s houses all inside - with room to spare. The mansion was ostentatious - huge and empty feeling. 

Rey, of course, made it feel warm, somehow. Her mere presence brightened everything around him - making a gloomy, overcast day feel like a warm West Virginia spring day. He had insisted on taking the bedroom closest to hers - which was still too far away for his liking. Sometimes, he would sleep on the floor outside her room in a sleeping bag. 

He tried to tell himself it was perfectly normal, the way he was acting. Clearly, the First Order was a threat even here in America, and he couldn’t let his guard down for a moment. He’d been hired to protect her at all costs, and that’s just what he’d do.

Sometimes she would find him on the floor, and Rey would shake her head and insist he come inside her room, where she would make sure he was settled onto the too small sofa she had - which she planned on replacing with a more ‘Clyde size friendly’ one as soon as she was able to.

She always tried to ignore the ache in her heart, and the whispers in her brain that told her to simply invite him into her bed, into her heart and soul - although, if Rey thought about it - Clyde was already in her heart and soul. She hardly ever thought about Stephen, and had been ignoring his texts and calls since coming back to Ithaca.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of Clyde’s lips against hers, either. It had felt good, like something her soul had always been whispering for, but had never been given.

She thought, maybe, she was in love with Clyde - but she’d never been in love before. What if everything was in her mind, only? What if Clyde didn’t share her feelings? What if he rejected her completely?

Somehow, Rey didn’t think he would. She saw the way he was always watching her, even when Kaydel, Rose and Jessika were around. They all teased him unmercifully, of course, making comments about anacondas and how thirsty Rey was - and Rey would always shake her head softly, looking at Clyde and noticing the blush on his cheeks. 

She loved it when he blushed. She loved it when he would look at her with those dark eyes of his, oozing protection from his very pores. He was the only person on Earth she trusted, the only person she felt completely safe with.

The only person she thought about kissing constantly.

….

Clyde did his best to ignore Rey’s friends and their teasing. He would always shake his head softly, one side of his mouth lifting up in a tiny smirk as his eyes met Rey’s. He knew his cheeks would redden every time - but so would Rey’s - and he couldn’t get enough of it.

They had developed a routine in their almost three months of being in Ithaca. Clyde would go with her to her classes, dressed in casual attire to not garner much notice, and he would sit in the back of the lecture hall, fascinated by the knowledge he heard coming from all of Rey’s professors. He would remain on high alert, even while listening, though, his eyes sweeping across the room before focusing on Rey, then starting the whole routine over again.

After school, Rey would normally go back to her house, and her friends would always stop by. Clyde would sit quietly nearby, a book in hand as he tried to pretend he wasn’t watching and listening to everything they were doing.

He knew he was wrong, for feeling the way he did - but the world revolved around Rey for him. As her bodyguard, it was his job to protect her from danger - but no one was there to protect him from falling in love with her.

Oh, Clyde was certain it had happened before. It had just never happened to him, and he was terrified that it would somehow cloud his judgement when it came to protecting him. Right now, he would jump in front of her if he heard someone yelling in anger, or if he saw a dog barking menacingly in their direction. Her safety and wellbeing was his singular focus in life.

There was another routine they had fallen into, and it was, by far, Clyde’s favorite part of the day. After one of them had cooked the evening meal - which was usually him because Rey needed to concentrate on her studies - and loaded the dishwasher, they would always somehow found themselves sitting on the couch, reading from the same book. If Rey rested her head on his shoulder, or if his arm fell around her shoulders and her head ended up on his chest - well, that was just the natural way of things for them now. And if she happened to doze off, well, he always made sure she was tucked away in bed before he turned in himself, and having her in his arms like that made his day even better.

Tonight, he stood at the large windows at the back of the house, which faced directly towards Cayuga Lake. The leaves were starting to turn, painting the shore a brilliant spread of yellows, oranges and reds. Several boats were making their way back to the respective docks as twilight started to fade into night, and Clyde heard quiet footsteps approaching, which caused a smile to drift onto his lips.

“All done with studyin’ for the night?” His voice was a low rumble into the quiet of the room, and as Rey looped her arm through his, laying her head on his shoulder, he turned his eyes to hers.

“Yes,” Rey replied quietly, her eyes meeting his and holding them. She bit her bottom lip, a nervous gesture that Clyde found incredibly endearing. “Did you choose a new book for us?” Clyde reached out, tucking a stray piece of her chestnut hair behind her ear before answering.

“_ Pride and Prejudice _sound okay to ya? I, um… I kinda asked the librarian what she thought, and she recommended it.” Clyde’s face turned red now, and he looked back out the window before clearing his throat. “I mean, I figured it’d be better than readin’ Harry Potter again. Me n my niece, Sadiebug, we read all them when I was off duty last year.”

“That sounds good, Clyde. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rey was looking outside, at the autumn colors and the lake, but Clyde only had eyes on her as he answered.

“It sure is.”

….

Rey could feel Clyde’s heart beating under her ear, his arm around her like a warm blanket. Not only was the man _ built _, but he was also a furnace, and Rey loved hearing his heartbeat as they read about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett together. It was sweet, the way Clyde would wait until she nodded her head ever so slightly before he turned the page, his heart thumping away under her cheek frantically.

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but as she woke up to the feeling of him clutching her to his chest, Rey sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. Clyde looked down at her, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched those brilliant hazel eyes of hers open ever so slightly.

He could have watched her sleep for hours, but that would be dangerous. He couldn’t let himself be so engrossed in watching her that he could miss something that might put her in danger. Just because they were in the States now, he couldn’t grow complacent. If something happened to her - well, Clyde would be inconsolable, for sure.

He met her hazel eyes with his dark chocolate ones, and as she blinked at him sleepily, Clyde knew his feelings for her ran far deeper than they should. She was his client, yet somewhere along the line she had become so much more.

“Clyde,” Rey breathed out softly, and she tugged at the back of his head with her hand, pulling his lips down to hers. There was an intensity to this kiss, one that had Clyde stopping in the middle of the hall, guiding them towards the wall so he could brace himself against it as they explored each others mouths.

Her lips were perfect, and they tasted of the wild berries that grew behind him and Jimmy’s place back home. Clyde could have spent all night kissing her, but finally he came to his senses, his breath coming in spurts as he pulled himself away from her with difficulty.

“Darlin’... I mean.. Rey. I… I don’t think we ought to be doin’ this. Ya… Ya got yourself a boyfriend, and… it’s gonna be hard for me to watch out for ya if all I want to do is kiss ya ‘til yer breathless. I… I’m sorry. If ya wanna request another guard, I can call Earl right away.”

He almost gave in, almost pressed his lips to her when he saw the tears pool in her eyes, but Clyde knew he was doing the right thing as he carried her to her room. Rey didn’t say a word, just sniffled a few times and blinked the tears off her eyelashes.

After he laid her down on her bed, Clyde placed a gentle,chaste kiss on her forehead before whispering, “Night, Darlin’.” As he left the room to make his bed on the living room couch, he tried to ignore the muffled sound of her crying.

….

Rey ached to kiss Clyde far before his care through her nightmares, but since it had happened it became all consuming to a point. Nothing could have prepared her for the feverish heat that radiated through her body while they devoured each other. The moment it had been unleashed she felt every need to match his want, his need. Being pinned against the wall only spurred her on, their tongues dancing as wildly as the countless fires they’d watched burn high into the late summer’s night skies. 

Just a second more, she just needed a second to catch her breath, to tell him everything she’d been thinking. She just needed time to push those three little words off the top of her tongue, but the sound of his rumbling groan caught her off guard. Rey found herself wanting to chase that, to know just where that would take them, not ever once imagining he’d step back. 

No, no, no... no... her inner voice cried, constricting all of her other thought processes. If only she could tell him, Stephen wasn’t hers for years. If only she could tell him how painful that relationship was... if only... but he moved away from her. He’d gone as far as offering her a different guard. 

A different guard...

The dam inside her broke. 

She didn’t want a new guard. 

Couldn’t handle the thought of losing him...

Not a split second more and all feeling in her body rushed from her on his exhale, and she’d been left on her bed, barely a shell of what once was with an ember of an apology burning at her temple.

Tears streamed down the sides of her cheeks, some trickling just past her ear while others threatened to drip inside them. None of which gave her back the pressing need to wipe them from her face. Here, she felt fragile. A slight movement could take her from all she knew, out into the dark night forever. 

And so she stayed where he put her last, unmoving until morning came.

By then she’d managed pulling over a side of her covers instead of getting under them, but that was all. She stayed stiffly cocooned there, neither calm or relaxed enough to sleep. Clyde’s rejection cut her deep. 

Far deeper than any of Stephen’s choices.

As the morning filtered in her still drawn blinds, Rey laid motionlessly, waiting for the day to retreat back into night. At least there she could be alone with her thoughts. No one would come in. No one would check. No one would keep watch. She could just lay awake in the darkness and let it erase her scars, fill the craters left from her falls. There she could let her heart heal from this devastating blow. But there was no such luck. Not for her. 

Pearls of sunlight stretched up as high as she could see despite the lingering clouds in her puffy eyes. Rey refused to sleep that night. Partially in shock and partially in fear of what the nightmare would hold for her then. She wouldn’t have her safety net… she wouldn’t have him…

Rey knew it was late in the morning as the final golden orb disappeared from view, casting a light shadow of the foliage around the property against the shade before completely blending to a greyish blue. It hadn’t been her first time watching the motions of light there. She was a caged animal for most of her life, that much was true… but with Clyde, it seemed like she could break free. That she didn’t have to be some doll in a box.

Her eyes lowered at the thought.

A rush of self-doubt came barreling in when she did. No amount of building herself was changing her life. Not in school. Not in politics. Certainly not in relationships… she was just a nice girl stuck in a power position she didn’t want with no escape.

Rey urged herself to roll to her side for the first time in hours to curl up into a tight ball. More than anything she wanted a small place to hide, like a cubby , or to stuff herself in a corner somewhere and just let the world move on without her. As childish as it sounded, it was what she felt she could handle. School and life would just have to wait until she could get herself under control.

She had grown deaf to noises outside her door since Clyde had left that night, missing questions pertaining to where she had been and if anyone had seen her. Had she not been so wrapped up in her grief, maybe she would have had the strength to get up and address it. But there was nothing, and that was frightening.

There had been a soft knock at the door and the whisper of a man’s voice that could only be Clyde asking her if she was okay.

Fresh tears fell in streams down into her pillow once more because of it. Her ears burned and muscles ached at the sound of him.

“Dar-Rey?” he croaked his question through the door. “Are ya? I’m just tryin’ ta check on ya.” Clyde paused before starting again. “Ya haven’t come out all mornin’…”

She hadn’t been able to respond, so she didn’t.

Another longer pause…and the sound of his tell-tale knock sounded again.

“Rey? I need to see ya. Make sure you’re in your room, ya see...” he said, his forehead rested against the door with a soft thud. “I just need ta know you’re… safe…”

The silence had become too much for Clyde to bear, and because of it he’d found the handle to her door, twisting it gently until he could push it open for entry. Her room had been pristinely kept, like always, all apart from the odd way she’d covered herself the night before. Rey’s lithe form had been covered in sheets and blankets, as if she had been a bookmark holding the center page as theirs did. Relief set over him briefly that she was here, but she wasn’t herself. She would have been up by now, showered, in the kitchen enjoying his company before having to head off to school. In fact, Rey had missed two classes already, and that in it of itself was telling. She never missed classes.

Clyde chewed on his lower lip, mulling over whether or not he should round her bed. If she really was sick then she probably would need her rest. He watched her frame rise and fall unsteadily. It had him wonder a slew of things but ultimately, if he could see she was breathing she was decidedly fine.

It didn’t stop him from fidgeting, though. Every fiber of his being pulled the man back to her. He needed to know that she was alright. His Rey, his client, was definitely anything but alright.

Ddisheveled. Darkened circles gave distinction to the bags found under their eyes. While he still had to use his, hers were aimlessly focused on a point somewhere far, far away. He couldn’t help but think of the fallen, his brothers in arms that had passed with their eyes still open seeing her in such a trance.

“Rey?” Clyde croaked again, trying to regain some of his composure. His sight swept over what he could see, noticing just how drained she really was. His girl, his mark, needed to eat at the very least, and drink something. “I’ll be right back with some water for ya, okay?” Clyde did his best not to touch her, even though his body screamed to fix this. He desperately wanted to cradle her in his arms and beg for her to tell him she’s okay…but there she was, a shadow of herself, frightening the hell out of him.

Clyde did his best to move from the room without disturbing the girls. The very last thing he needed to do was draw attention to this and cause a panic. Then he would have three additional problems along with the one he was facing now. Thankfully the kitchen had only been down the hall and past the front door, which made it easy to check behind him while he was at the fridge, back to her door.

He thought he was covered as he grabbed the last remaining water bottle from the door. That is, until he looked up to see Jess walking down the hall, bending her elbow just so to flip him the bird, while she held another bottle in her same hand.

He was too late.

Rose and Kaydel followed suit, adding nothing to Jess’ salute. Kaydel pocketed her phone, while Rose looked like she was going to the spa, a light blue bucket of sorts looped over her arm that was filled with who knows what. Clyde stood stunned and alone just outside her door, pondering what he should do next.

. . .

Rey’s sad puffy eyes welled up at the sight of her friends ready to take care of her. They came prepared to do anything, but of the tasks, Jess made absolutely sure she opened with, “I’ll cut the person that did this to you. Tell me it was Stephen.” 

Her nod and eyebrow waggle made the other girls giggle, adding, “What’s he got on you now?” followed by, “He cant control you…Rey, you weren’t even dating.”

Jess’ dirty mouth kicked up a decibel, slightly louder than they had been, just to warn the eavesdropper at the door before settling back in to help her friend out. Each one of them took turns coaxing Rey out of the bed, that is until she finally got up to pee. Even then they all looked at each other trying to gauge if it was even a Stephen thing at all. 

“When’s the last time she was sick? Does anyone even remember?” Rose asks. 

Kaydel, Queen of everything everything biological, rolled back her phone’s calendar, dotting everyone’s sicknesses and hangovers since they met, found that she’d only had the flu once with them and the common cold two falls ago. “She’s usually on it in terms of wellness, and her immune system is high given the frequent traveling... so maybe her body gave up this one time.” 

“Let’s just make sure no one leaves her alone, in case it is the dickhead,” Rose suggested. “He’s never gotten her to shut down quite like this.”

“Yeah, doesn’t she usually argue with herself?” Kaydel asked.

“What about them?” she snorts at Kaydel’s eye roll. “Kay, they’re online courses.”

“Ah, alright.”

“So it’s settled, Jess’ll be here around the clock until someone can relieve her, or Rey starts acting normal again,” Rose confirms with the girls before clapping her hands together like she usually does when a plan comes together.

. . .

Being without Rey, even though Clyde is still on as her bodyguard, makes time practically stand still.

The evening came, and night fell without a sound. He couldn’t remember a time it had been so quiet in all his life besides now, not even during stakeouts or night watch overseas. At least there he had something to listen for. He knew it’d be coming, there’d be a change, something... but not here, and it began to terrify him.

Rey hadn’t gone to seek him out. Not once in the early evening. He’d almost hoped she would have had the nerve to demand they talk about this, but she laid down and took it without a second thought - or so it seemed. Rey listened to him. She took what he said and accepted it, just like in her father’s situation room. His heart sank, remembering how it nearly broke her, what it had given him in return. He knows he’d give anything to get it back, even if it meant leaving her world completely. 

The next morning Clyde is aware of some movement within her room. Simple sounds, like footsteps, brought him hope. Maybe she’d come out. Maybe they’d get to talk...he’d wished she would have stopped him, told him something, anything, to put him at ease. But when nothing came - so did his questions. 

The more he put himself through such thoughts, the more he became fidgety. He couldn’t stop moving. He couldn’t stop scanning, hoping that their eyes would meet. The thought occurs to him that if she wouldn’t come out to see him, he could go in to see her. There would be a chaperone, one he didn’t exactly care to see, in there with them, but if it meant he could see Rey he’d deal with it. 

While he didn’t get any sleep the night before, he had been able to make a plate of eggs and toast for her without dropping any of it on the way back to her room. He’d knock - and be given silence in return. Another knock bared the sound of a closing of a book, footsteps and the turn of the doorknob. His hope addled minde made it hard to see anyone but who had answered the door.

Jess stood before him, her challenging glare and all, unamused by what offering he had today - being that it wasn’t requested of him. 

“Can I help you?” she asked, not even attempting to take the dish. 

“Excuse me,” he pushed his way through the doorway to get to her bedside. Clyde still had a job to do, after all. He wasn’t just some longing man, he was still her bodyguard, and while he served her and her family, he was still going to manage to do his job. 

Making it to her bedside doesn’t make him feel any better though. She hadn’t gone far from the position he’d found her in the day before. Her only differences now had been half a box of used tissues cascading off the side of her bed and the image of her desperately hanging on to the box they came from, and for a fleeting second he allows relief to set in. 

Maybe she really is sick. 

“Mornin’,” he gulped back his own emotion. Not calling her his darlin’, even if it had been used as a reassuring nickname, stung. Clyde had been in deep for her, and seeing Rey like this did things to him. “‘Made ya breakfast. Eggs ‘n toast?” He waited a beat, looking for anything. If she moved, it was slight. “I can leave it right here for ya for when you’re ready,” he added, placing the dish down on the nightstand beside her bed. There he’d noticed what she kept out. While it hadn’t been much, he did find the napkin she shared chocolates with him in and the note he’d left her that night. 

“Thank you,” she softly whispered. 

It had been faint, but he’d heard her. She sounded ill... distant... it made him hang in the space there waiting for her to say his name as she always did when she thanked him, but there was nothing. 

“I’ll, um,” Clyde stumbled with his words, managing to fight the urge to move to face her. 

“It’s just past ten,” Jess interrupted. “Kay’ll be back in thirty. If you want peace you’ll have to shower now...” Jess motioned for Clyde to go. “Thanks Kyle, I’ll handle it from here.”

Clyde hated that she called him by a different name. It was disrespectful on so many levels, but stooping to hers wouldn’t make him any better. Rey moved for her, though. She sat up slowly, her voice strained, but still corrected her friend, “Clyde,” she said.

“Kyle...” Jess repeated. “Please see yourself out.”

Rey challenged Jess with his name once more, but he hadn’t stayed for wherever that conversation was going. The very fact that Rey didn’t look back at him stayed on his mind. Clyde needed Rey to trust him. He needed her to come back to him, to look at him and know she was safe there. He couldn’t honestly feel like he could protect her if she couldn’t communicate with him anymore. 

The thought of contacting Earl came up more so than it did last night. He wondered if it would just be best if he resigned from his post. She could learn to be safe with someone else then. Someone that could be more qualified to lead this position without falling for her. Clyde’s thumb hovered over the call button, declining activating such a drastic measure. If he did this, Clyde reminded himself, he’d never see her again. Even a life as painful as this couldn’t ever destroy him quite like losing her forever.

Clyde knew he could handle a lot, heck, he’d even served in Iraq, but the very idea made a cool sweat start to cling to his skin. He pocketed his phone instead, surveying the scene before making his way into his room across the hall, only to find Jess in there. 

“How are you in... here?” he asked, looking back at Rey’s room. He left before her, didn’t he? Where else did he go in the haze of his thoughts? Clyde was sure he only managed to go across the hall, and yet seeing Jess here made him wonder just how long it took him. 

“Door,” Jess answered. She stood by his desk across the room. The only thing that separated the space was the bed he’d been sleeping in for the past few months. Last night, though, he perched himself at the side of the bed, watching for her. Clyde straightened his shoulders again trying to reclaim his composure. 

“What are you doing?” He asked the more pressing question instead of continuing with how she got past him.

“Going through your shit,” she says, unamused in the least, as she flips through yet another dossier.

“That information isn’t for you,” Clyde says, and manages to start moving through his room. 

“It isn’t for you, either,” Jess replies pointedly. 

This had him frowning at her statement. Of course it was for him. Earl gave it to him.

“Did you read any of it?” she pushed.

“All of it.” 

“Then you’d agree?” Jess asked, challenging him with a hard look before lowering her eyes back to the file before her. “Ninty-ten.”

The only thought in his mind is that Jess may be unstable. The girl never really spoke in full sentences and blurted out anything that came to mind. For instance, what in the hell does ninety-ten mean?

“What?” Clyde’s brow furrows as he pulled his phone back from his pocket. If he had to call for back up he would... and for some reason, Jess was making him feel the absolute need to.

“Despite your services, Kyle, you don’t know us. You only know what they told you.”

Clyde rolled his shoulders, again, finding that to be one of the only things, besides reading with Rey, to help him handle his stress. Especially the agitation Jess supplies him. “Ya want ta tell me where you’re going with this?”

“I did,” the woman says, making her way towards him.

“And how do ya know that?”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Jess breezes by him, slapping a short stack of paper hard on his chest before leaving.

Just as she goes, Clyde clutches his chest, wrinkling the lot. Letting up his grip on what’s there, Clyde pulls what he can away from his body to see it, letting the majority of what was there scatter around him. Colorfully printed pages skate across the floor, both in a rush to be seen and hidden all at once. As the image that remained in his hand came into focus Clyde found it painfully difficult not to crush it in his fist.

He’d recognized the man in the photo he held as Stephen, the very same man he promised himself not to let around Rey on his watch. In the photo, had been necking with some scantily clad woman in what looked like a public venue. It hadn’t been enough that the man had Rey - and the very thought burned a hole in his heart for her. Each image he found strewn across his floor had him ready to tear Stephen apart. 

His body surged forward to gather the very last one, finding the both of them together. Just the way the photo caught Rey looking at the image of himself made his heart wrench all over again. Her smile, while always bright, had been one she saved just for him. It usually came right after she said his name too... and there it was. Clyde had been with her countless times. In and out of venues, vehicles, and homes, always vigilant, always ready... always securing her, protecting... his mind trailed to the past few times she’d thanked him for exactly that. 

Had he missed something? 

Reviewing the images again, he’d noticed minor details that suggested that Stephen had been getting around for years, leaving Clyde with the pressing need to find out if Rey could ever forgive him.

. . .

“Oh good, you’re moving,” Jess congratulates Rey on her way in. “Can I draw you a bath?”

“That’s okay,” comes as barely a whisper. 

Jess nods a little, offering a tight smile before closing the door completely. She spends a few more hours with Rey before she decides to try being up for the day. Walking is odd, being she hadn’t even tried to get up unless it was to use the bathroom all day yesterday. 

Rey’s voice sounded strange, even to her. 

Their conversations started with simple questions, provoking only yes or no answers, which eventually developed into more. As she went, Rey started sounding more like herself. It’s a surprise to Rey that Jess had been the person she’d connected to over all of this. Rose had been closer to her for years, her family had always protected theirs, whether it had been as ground forces, escorts or aerial coverage, the Tico’s had them covered. Kaydel and Jess had been the most naturally welcoming people at orientation. Jess in her own right, had retrieved a table for them with no effort, or what looked like none at all. Kaydel? Well, Kay asked all of the questions Rey had with her that day, recorded it, and sent it to everyone in the room, reminding them that every university is a business looking to take their money and to be their own advocate. 

Rey loved them all individually; their strengths, quirks, and even weaknesses made them matter to her more. They made her feel like her own issues mattered, and now, as she sat wallowing in her rejection, Rey decided it was time to let her walls down and let someone else in. 

Of course, Rey chose not to name names. Her bodyguard already got the brunt of Jess’ wrath just by being a new male figure, but she did bring up how she felt and explored the weight of this new development, how it physically drained her, driving the people that cared for her most crazy with worry, she was sure of that.

When she finally got it all out, Jess asked right off the bat if it was Stephen, gaining only a look of sorrow from Rey as her reply.

“Can we pretend it was Stephen?”

“Do you have money on this?” Rey managed to lean away from her friend skeptically.

“I could. There’s still time.” Silence patches it’s way between their conversation, making it weird to start up one after the next. As broken as they were, Jess was helping Rey re-acclimate herself into her world. Her senses started to function again having someone there with her. “It’s nearly dinner time. If you’re up for it, I can order pizza from AJ’s. If you want, that is.”

Rey simply nods her head, agreeing on her favorite, and that it would be nice to eat outside.

“Outside it is,” Jess prepared her phone to make the call.

. . .

Jess has a place in all of this, that much is true, what place it is, Clyde isn’t sure, but she’s also someone very close to Rey - and Clyde doesn’t know why. She was right. Outside of the paperwork he’d been given and the dozens of times they all hung out together, Clyde really didn’t know them. They weren’t his directive. Rey was-is.

He knew some things about her - like her nightmares - that weren’t in the files, but nothing could prepare him from what Jess shared. A hard slap of her hand at the middle of his chest had him restraining himself. The memory of finding such infidelities constantly flitted over his vision, despite the fact that he’d filed them away for later investigation. He needed to contact Earl and see if he could get anymore on Stephen and the countless women he’d been with.

Both fury for what Stephen had been doing behind Rey’s back, and dread for bringing him up the night before, for stopping them, had set in full stop. He thought of how awful he must have made her sound, reminding her of that cheater, and implying that they’d been doing was -well it was wrong if she was with him, but the dates on the bottom of each situation showed that this had been going on for an extended period of time. 

Years. 

The man, if Clyde could even identify him as one, had been openly cheating on her for years. 

At the same time that little ember of hope he left with Rey, began to burn the smoldering fire inside of him that he’d tried his best to extinguish. Clyde had nearly burned every memory, but couldn’t erase that night, or any other time they’d touched. Her skin had branded him as hers the moment she collided with him all that time ago.

Clyde’s eyes welled up for the hundredth time since that night, but more now than ever. It was something Jess said that he should have just known. He should have listened to Rey. He had so much time with her. She wasn’t like the girls in those photos.

Rey was special. She was - is - so much more to him.

Clyde stayed in his room, studying the only picture that mattered that night, that is until Rose stopped outside Rey’s door, intercepting Jess on the way over.

“What d’ya think we’re lookin at?” Rose asks. 

Jess stares down Clyde, smirking at the man whose learned not to avert his eyes from her challenge. 

“Two love sick fools,” she said, clear as day, making whatever color was still in his face drain the second it clicked.

“Wait, what?” Rose asks. To Clyde’s surprise, her question goes in answered… 

Dinner had been difficult for Clyde. Not only had it been hard to eat, but it’d been hard to sit with all of them now in possession of this new information. Why hadn’t he been given everything? Why didn’t any of that matter? He wondered about it all, losing himself between moments where the two of them had shared a look. Each time he’d heard words, maybe phrases of something he should have been focusing on, but instead he blocked it all out. All of it, except her.

While Clyde found it hard enough to stomach his food, he’s relieved to see that Rey is at least trying to. From what he could see, she still wasn’t eating half as much as she usually would, and that, along with other things, including her defeated body language, had him regretting this mess that much more. So much so, in fact, that he finds himself putting his plate down to go back to what he knows. Protecting his directive.

By the time the girls all finished up, their discussions had tapered off, all of which he probably should have been listening to but ignored as he had before. They had moved out of the living room, deciding on retiring in the suites upstairs instead of going home. It had been late after all, and Rey reminded them that she was thankful for their company and to get rest where they felt most comfortable. Each one asked if she would be alright alone, promising that they would come to her aid if she needed, but Rey stayed strong. She had that determined look in her eye, the one that Clyde had seen so many times when she’d want to overcome her odds.

It hurt a little… who was he kidding? It hurt a lot that she had been trying to turn this page in her life. She’d fallen so far and climbed so high tonight that he’d begun to feel like he might not matter to her in such a way anymore.

Rey started to shiver again, a telltale sign Clyde had noticed when she was over tired. She needed him, he could feel it, and the weight of what had been done stung deep within his bones. He couldn’t go to her. He couldn’t wrap his arms around her or let her rest on his chest. She wouldn’t look up at him or fall asleep there either. She just wouldn’t, and it broke his heart.

Clyde could only watch her pass from the chair he’d been in before standing and walking behind her. He’d offered his services to make sure her room was empty and she nodded, adding her usual, “Okay, Clyde,” before he’d let her enter. He had lingered, just a little bit, before wishing her a good night’s rest - hoping she’d wish him the same. He’d hoped she’d say a word to him, any word, anything except for “stop” or “leave”. Neither were uttered, but her slight nod and the lift of her eyes showed a guarded woman instead of his Rey.

That night the stress of the past few days had gotten to him. It had awoken memories that he had sworn to himself he’d never see again. Clyde found himself back in uniform, under fire in the shifting sands of Iraq. The rapid sounds of ammunition being shot off into the horizon hadn’t been a relief. They were firing at an invisible enemy most days with no end in sight, it seemed.

It felt like he’d been there for weeks. Clyde could feel the sun beating on his back, the sweat pouring down his face and dust collecting in his throat. His regime had finally managed to regain some ground that had been claimed by the enemy, and had been getting ready to position more men around the wall, when the roar of an engine pushed an old sedan through the deserted streets, right into their checkpoint, killing two of Clyde’s friends in the process.

His feet barely carried him to find them. The stress from seeing their bodies fly away and crumble onto themselves shook him to his core, but nothing could prepare him for finding them as he did. The first, he felt was a cruel illusion. Nothing more than a quick blip of a memory of a girl he once knew… but the moment he’d reached the person he’d known it was her. His Rey. His girl had died there, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Clyde feels the ground hard as he falls to his knees. He sobs, not for the pain found there, but for losing his everything. “Rey, ya can’t be gone…I need ya...” he whines.

A gentle sound calls to him, one he can’t make out. Then he can feel a breeze push at the thick of his hair, but there’s no sign of movement anywhere in the landscape of his dream. No flags fly, nothing – not even dust moves around the surface of the war torn land, and yet his hair moves, sometimes strong enough to curl it over his ear.

“Clyde,” a voice whispers around him. Once, then twice, equally low, when finally two hands press at his chest, then grab his shirt to yank him out of his nightmare.

Clyde cries. Simply cries when he realizes who had come to his rescue. Rey had managed to pull him out of the danger of his thoughts. His looming panic attacks were locked and loaded, ready to strike, but Rey saved him. She came back for him…

All he felt he could do was cry, and so that’s exactly what he did. He sat before her, the soft down comforter sitting around his waist, his shirt soaked in sweat, unable to feel anything but the release of his pent up fear.

When he could finally lift his hands to rub his eyes clean from his tears, he could see Rey. Really see her. She looked awful, like she hadn’t been sleeping, a ghost of herself, but she was there for him despite her own pain.

“Rey,” Clyde croaked, sitting suddenly and opening his arms like a child. At her nod, he leaned in over her shoulder for a hug, unaware of how uncomfortable this must have been for her. “I-I thought I’d lost you.”

“But you didn’t. I’m right here,” she said, calming his nerves.

Once his breathing slowed, she helped him remove his shirt for a new one. It was odd being the one cared for, even if she tried to make him feel special before. This was different. Being bare to her, even like this. It felt like more… like maybe he hadn’t completely missed out like he had thought before. But then she dressed him in a new cotton t-shirt, comforted him until he laid back down on his pillow and drifted off into sleep.

Now Clyde had always been a light sleeper. It made being out in the field easier to adjust to. Always being ready, even while sleeping, was a thing to be proud of to the man. But feeling Rey move away from the space next to him, even though she’d made no sound, breaks his heart all over again. Clyde finds himself clutching the comforter in the section of where she’d been, praying for sleep to claim him once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clyde and his lady share some sweet moments together. Trouble arrives from merry old England.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor sexual assault. You have been warned.
> 
> This is a loooong chapter folks - but we guarantee you won't regret reading every single word!
> 
> Thanks to [Semperfidani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semperfidani) for the amazing moodboard! You should definitely check out her works!

[ ](https://imgur.com/dywIfe5)

It was agony, watching Rey and not being able to talk to her. He had gone and messed everything up, and Clyde had no idea how to fix it. All he wanted was to sit beside her on the couch again, reading their book and feeling her head against his chest. He hadn’t read a word since the  _ incident _ \- as he had come to think of it - and Jess’ words kept rolling around in his brain.

_ Love sick fool, indeed. _

It had been a week of sleepless nights, Jess’ constant jabs at him, and the sadness in Rey’s eyes every time she glanced at him ripping his heart to shreds over and over again. The thought that he had caused that sadness, that he had dared mention  _ him _ to her - even before knowing of Stephen’s infidelities - was almost enough to make him fall to his knees before her, begging for her forgiveness. Instead, Clyde retreated within himself, vowing to be even more vigilant in protecting her.

The weather grew cooler, and after listening to Rey cough intermittently for a half hour straight one night, Clyde let his nurturing instincts kick in - whether Rey was speaking to him or not - he wouldn’t let her be uncomfortable. Her friends were all out, leaving the two of them alone for the first time in a week.

With a sigh, Clyde went to the large kitchen, deciding that Rey needed a warm bowl of soup to help ease her cough. His Momma had always said that a cold was never so bad that a bowl of hot soup couldn’t make it better.

It only took him a moment to heat up a can of soup and gather some crackers, and as he stepped outside onto the patio, he took a moment to watch Rey, whose face was turned out towards the lake as she thought. Clyde knew the look on her face, and he knew she was a million miles away in her head.

“Da...I mean… Rey,” Clyde said softly, making his way to her side as she let a shiver course through her slender body. Clyde set the soup down on the patio table, turning back towards the house to retrieve a soft blanket from the couch. Returning to Rey’s side, he draped the blanket around her shoulders, trying not to touch her or look into her eyes. “Ya gotta be gettin’ chilly. I made ya some soup. It’s on the table over there when ya want it. It might help with your stuffy nose n all.”

Clyde turned to leave when Rey’s hand moved quickly to grip his wrist, her skin chilled in the autumn night air. His eyes met hers in the muted twilight, and his breath caught in his throat at the raw emotion in her gaze. “Thank you,” Rey whispered softly. “D-Don’t leave? Please?”

Rey took a step towards him, and when she wrapped her arms around him, Clyde knew he was a goner - because he would do anything for her. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her in closer, making sure the blanket stayed wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Clyde wasn’t an overly emotional man. He kept a tight rein on his feelings, but as he buried his face in Rey’s hair, he could feel tears pricking in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered softly before he realized what he was even saying. “I… I’m so sorry, Rey. I didn’t mean ta make ya sad.” Clyde pulled away after another moment, looking down at her.

Rey swiped at her eyes to get rid of the tears that had brimmed there. She saw the wet stain left behind on Clyde’s t-shirt, and she recognized her own pain mirrored in his eyes.

He had been suffering, too.

“We need to talk, Clyde.” Rey’s voice was soft as it came to his ears in the ever approaching darkness, and he let his eyes drift out across the lake briefly before they came back to hers.

“Ya gotta get some soup in ya first, then we can. Deal?” Clyde waited until Rey nodded at him before guiding her towards the table, settling himself into the chair across from hers after she was sitting down. He pushed the bowl of soup and sleeve of crackers towards her. “My momma always said the best thing for a stuffy nose and a cough is a bowl of soup. Normally I’d make it from scratch, but canned will have ta do this time.”

“Your mother sounds like a good woman,” Rey said quietly, taking a spoonful of soup and blowing on it to cool it.

Clyde simply watched her, swallowing hard before nodding. “She was.”

“Oh,” Rey said, realizing that he had referred to his mother in the past tense. “I-I’m sorry she’s gone,” Rey reached out with her free hand, clutching Clyde’s hand with hers.

“It’s alright. She’s been gone a while now. Daddy, too. She raised us up to be good people, so I know she’s happy wherever she is.” Clyde glanced down at her hand, her fingers curled around his, and he squeezed them gently.

Rey ate the rest of the soup in silence, letting its warmth soothe her scratchy throat, the steam helping to ease her stuffy nose. When she was done, she pushed the bowl aside, looking up at Clyde before stating simply, “You liked kissing me. I know you did.”

Clyde saw no reason to lie about it, so he chose to answer simply. “I did.”

“W-” Rey stopped, licking her lips before starting again. “Why did you...reject me like that? I… I didn’t want to stop, Clyde. I feel safe with you. I don’t feel safe with anyone - but I do with you.” Rey’s eyes started to fill with tears again, and she reached up to swipe a hand across them.

“Ya got a boyfriend. I’m not a man who would ever get in the middle of a relationship like that. And… well, yer my directive. My job. And I was havin’ trouble reckonin’ all that in my head, see? I need ta keep ya safe, Rey, because not only is it my job, but… if somethin’ happened to ya I dunno how I’d manage.”

“Stephen and I… it’s… complicated,” Rey said, her eyes misting over again. How could she ever explain to Clyde that she didn’t even like the man her parents had chosen for her to date? She knew about the other girls, knew he had never been faithful to her. Their relationship had been a sham since the first date.

“I know what he’s doin’, darlin’. Jess… she done told me some things I didn’t have in my dossier. Why are ya with a man who can’t treat ya the way ya deserve to be treated? If I was your man, I’d never even look at another woman but you.” Clyde shut his mouth with a snap, hoping his words wouldn’t be taken wrong by her.

A smile came to Rey’s face, and she used her free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I… I’d like that, you know? To be yours. You make me feel safe and cared for. Why can’t we be together? It’s not like anyone would need to know, Clyde.”

“Ya… ya would want that? Me? I… I dunno, Rey. It seems mighty risky, and I could lose my job. Yer parents wouldn’t like it none, either. It’s pretty obvious they want ya with Stephen.”

“Of course they do. But what about what I want? They have no clue what he is doing. He’s very clever and careful with his affairs.” Rey said, letting out a sigh. “I just know that being with you makes me feel safe, and being in your arms is the best thing I have ever felt.”

“Oh, darlin’.” Clyde sighed as well, vacillating between what he wanted to do, and what was right for him to do. He wanted to take Rey in his arms and promise he would keep her safe and loved, but he knew he still had a job to do. “I dunno if it could work, darlin’. I’m sorry.” His mind raced with what would come of their relationship when she was once again the Prime Minister’s daughter? How could he keep his hands off her then if they decided to be together here in Ithaca?

It was a dangerous charade, and Clyde wasn’t sure it could work.

“What happens when ya gotta go back to London? I dunno if we could keep somethin’ like that secret. I’m sorry, I… I can’t deny I want to be with ya, because I do.”

Rey’s face fell, and she bit her bottom lip as she nodded. “I understand and respect your decision. I…” Rey sighed, her fingers squeezing his again gently. “I’ve never been able to choose anything in my life, so I understand what it means to have to choose duty over happiness. My mother chooses my wardrobe and my schedule, my Father chooses my charities, both parents oversee my dating life. All for our country. I understand.”

Clyde swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat. “I, um… I know that’s hard. I did my duty for my country, too. I remember what it feels like ta be told what ta do, where ta do it… where ta be. I remember. I’m sorry I hurt ya, darlin’. It’s been the worst week, knowin’ ya were sad because of me. I ain’t hardly slept none, knowin’ how broken up ya were.”

Rey sniffled once before nodding. “Thank you for the apology. I… I don’t like Stephen. He’s a horrid person. But my Father thinks he is a good match for me, so I have to pretend I like him. We’ve been dating… if you want to call it that… for four years now. He’s nothing like you, though. He’s slimy. You’re… tender. You care, and the way you look at me…” Rey let her words trail off, blushing as she bit her bottom lip again. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be sorry, darlin’. Neither one of us can help the way we feel, can we? We just need to have boundaries in place, is all. I’d still like ta read with ya. I miss that.” Clyde squeezed her hand again, noticing that the blanket on her shoulders had started to fall. “How ‘bout we get ya inside where it’s warm, and we can get back to readin’?”

“I’d like that,” Rey said, smiling at Clyde and letting him help her to her feet. If she cuddled a little closer to him after that during their reading time every night, and if Clyde just happened to plant a kiss to the top of her head - neither one of them said anything.

….

Clyde stood outside Rey’s bedroom door a day later, listening to her coughing uncontrollably. He knocked lightly, waiting for her to answer before he pushed the door open. She looked miserable, and Clyde set to work, making her another bowl of soup and retrieving cold tablets, cough medicine and tissues for her. That night he let her cuddle up beside him as he stretched out on her bed beside her, reading out loud to her so that she could close her eyes and rest against him. Once she was asleep, Clyde knew he couldn’t leave her, and so he laid out his old sleeping bag from his military days in the tiny alcove by the door to her room, settling himself in for a restless night. Every tiny movement had his eyes open, listening to Rey coughing and blowing her nose. If she needed something, he would provide it.

“Clyde?” He heard her whisper in the middle of the night to him, causing him to jolt straight up in his sleeping bag.

“Yeah, darlin’?” Clyde stood, shuffling across the room in his bare foot, his eyes meeting hers in the dark.

“Could you get me a bottle of water? I would get it myself, but for some reason I knew you’d be sleeping on my floor.” Rey smiled at him, and Clyde smiled back at her. 

“Be right back, darlin’. Ya needin’ anythin’ else?”

Rey swallowed back her response of  _ Yes… You,  _ shaking her head instead. “Thank you.”

Clyde made quick work of retrieving the water bottle for Rey, practically jogging both ways. Once he was back in her room, he handed her the bottle, settling down on the mattress beside her and laying his palm on her forehead. She felt warm, which had him worried. He uncapped the water, handing it to her and watching her drink before capping it back up when she handed it back to him.

“C’mon, darlin’, get yourself laid back down. I’m gonna get a washcloth to put on your forehead.” Once she was settled back into her blankets, Clyde went to the washroom, wetting a washcloth with cool water and returning to her bedside. Folding the cloth in half, he placed it on Rey’s forehead, listening to her sigh in relief.

“That feels so good. Thank you… would… would you stay with me until I fall asleep again? Please?” Rey’s voice sounded so small and hoarse that Clyde felt his heart clench in his chest.

  
  
  


“Of course, darlin’,” Clyde said quietly before stretching out beside her. Rey shuffled over so her head was on his chest, and his arm wrapped protectively around her. When he woke the next morning, it was to the sigh of Rey’s head on his chest, her arm over him as she slept quietly.

….

  
  


Rey’s cold passed quickly enough with Clyde’s care, and on Saturday, they boarded the small boat that had been tied to the dock belonging to her family. Clyde had offered to take her for a ride on Cayuga Lake to see the foliage - and to teach her how to fish.

She had to admit - she was looking forward to having him all to herself for an extended period of time. While she wasn’t sure she would like fishing - she would like fishing with Clyde. The care he had shown over the last week for her had only cemented her feelings for him more.

It was so hard to keep her hands off him, though, beyond the parameters they had already established. Rey couldn’t forget the feel of his lips on hers, though, the memory of that kiss was burned into her soul and would never go away.

As Clyde maneuvered the boat onto the lake, Rey watched the shore fall away behind them, taking in a deep breath of the cool Autumn air as she looked at the reds, yellows and oranges of the foliage on the opposite shore. Finally, he slowed the boat down, dropping the small anchor in the middle of the lake.

Clyde had fishing in his DNA, he had always thought. He had spent many hours when he was younger with his line in the Little Coal River back home. He had always seen himself teaching his kids to fish someday, and he hoped he would meet a gal who enjoyed it as much as he did.

Maybe he just liked having Rey to himself for a few hours. He also was impressed with the boat - it was a sleek little number, designed for speed, and also for a weekend stay - if the living quarters below decks were any indication.

“Alright, darlin’. This looks like a good place to catch some fish. Ya seriously never been fishin’ before?” Clyde smiled at her, and Rey gave him a smile in return as she came to stand at his side.

“Nope. My mother would be horrified thinking about me doing something like this. So, what do we do first?” Rey tucked hair behind her ear, looking up at Clyde. She was completely at peace right now, in the middle of a lake with just him as company.

As Clyde ran down how to bait the hook - which earned him a horrified gaze from her - he chuckled and thread the worm on for her. “Okay, now I gotta show ya how ta cast out. C’mere. Stand in front of me and I’ll show ya.”

Rey stood in front of Clyde as he had instructed, and she sighed happily as his arms came around her, showing her where to put her hands on the pole. His hands on hers were large and warm, and Rey tried to keep herself from melting back into his chest. He was so strong, and she had never felt safer than she did at that moment. As he was explaining how to cast out her line, Rey looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

She turned slowly, her arms wrapping around his neck as her lips met his, and the fishing lesson was quickly forgotten about as they kissed. Somehow, they found themselves sitting on one of the benches, Rey straddling him, and as he pulled away from her, Clyde settled his forehead against hers before remarking, “Darlin’, I…”

“No,” Rey said, her lips kiss swollen and her breathing quickened by their kisses. “No. For once in my life, I get to choose something for myself. I don’t care, Clyde, what is protocol and what is proper. I want you, and I don’t care how hard it is to keep things discreet. I feel safe with you, safe and cared for. I want to be with you.”

Clyde felt his resolve crumbling with her words. He knew he couldn’t resist her- he didn’t  _ want _ to resist her. “Ain’t gonna be easy, darlin’. Especially when ya gotta be ta home n all. How we gonna manage?”

“We will, somehow. What we have is something worth fighting for, don’t you think?” Rey asked Clyde softly, her hand on his chest and her forehead still resting against his.

“Yeah, it is, darlin’. It is.”

…..

  
  


It had been beautiful, the way he looked down at her. His eyes had always been so captivating, but there in that moment - standing there with her hands sandwiched between something that reminded Clyde of home and the warmth of his hands - she felt as though he was guiding her into a life she needed. Clyde called to her in a way no one else could, clearing her mind of the rest of the world, and she finally felt like she could just be. It’s what told her to turn around and kiss him, what told her to climb him like a tree, what made her sigh against his lips and fight for this. She hadn’t before and nearly lost him. She knows this… she knew him in a way that maybe he didn’t quite realize.

Out there on the lake she felt rejuvenated. There he couldn’t run away, she couldn’t break down, she had to stay strong and that she did for the sake of them. In a way it made her feel strong. Like she was meant to have him. Like he was building her up to be more than a scared little girl in a pristinely kept package, and Rey? Rey wanted that more than anything. She wanted to make him feel the same way he could make her feel. She wanted to show him he could trust her, that they could be – and maybe someday freely be with each other.

The lake became her happy place. The one she’d drift back to even when it would be too cold or too far away to fish. It was true, Clyde knew leaving Ithaca would mean changes for them, but Rey felt it deep within her soul that this could truly be theirs.

She remembers how he cradled her against him, long after she’d made her point and he’d agreed. How wonderful it felt to be out there, the cool breeze at her back had nearly been forgotten while Clyde held her. 

He’d been fun, too. Despite the fact that she could easily spend all day kissing him, she really enjoyed sitting beside him and reeling in line after line. Several times his line tightened and released the load. Hers did the same, until her line went completely stiff. She fondly remembers Clyde hopping up to settle himself behind her, steadying her line with just enough power to pull the culprit from the water. Unfortunately for the couple, it had only been some rotten roots and plant life growing at the bottom of the lake, but Rey didn’t mind. Her first fishing adventure had been one with someone she truly loved, even if she was too afraid to tell him then.

Yes, the lake became her “go to” place every time she closed her eyes. She promised herself she would always be happy there, that no harm could ever reach them, because they had this place.

. . . 

By midweek Kaydel was a bundle of nerves, concerned with her latest paper, eating a stick of cookie dough just to get through the newest results of her latest research. Her work in the field had overtaken most of her lab studies, making the woman a noticeable nervous wreck.

“Please tell me she’s only had one,” Rose discreetly whispers over her shoulder to Jess.

“No can do,” she replies evenly. “Pretty certain thats number two.”

“—And you haven’t stopped her?” Rose grumbles, taking the lead on this one. “C’mon princess, I’m pretty certain that’s enough.”

Jess cracks a smile, muttering the new-found nickname, before she turned towards the faint sound of the front door opening. Her brow furrowed, wondering who it could be. She pulled out her phone and flipped through the calendar, inspecting it as she stood to her full height. There was nothing there that she could see. Nothing – no reason for anyone to access this establishment.

“Rose,” she commanded evenly, to which her friend tightened her stance and eyed Jess. She didn’t have to be told. Instead she made her way to Rey’s room, landing one hard knock on her door before making her way back to the foyer.

Jess watched as not one, but several bodyguards moved to check the surrounding scene, all confirming that the house was in fact, secured before Rey’s parents and family moved in. She could only wonder as to what they were doing here, but then again, it is their home… they should be able to come and go as they please. The girl could only roll her eyes at such a concept.

With one last sweep of the room Jess notices Clydee, giving him a suggestive glance before moving to the door with the other girls welcoming Rey’s family in with them. Rey knew what Jess was up to, it hadn’t been a surprise to her. Since they’d met her Mother hadn’t exactly been accepting of her friend. She liked Kaydel because of her drive in her subjects. Rose was an easy one to get along with, loving to talk about her parents, and how they’d really enjoy seeing them again, even if it was briefly. Sometimes they would even go to the city just to be escorted by the Ticos. Her mother liked them because they weren’t brown nosers, either. They stated their business as it needed to be spoken - which really sat well with her over the years. Rey’s father, on the other hand, enjoyed being surrounded by protective services, and having friends on the force here in the states made the trip worthwhile. Her siblings, though… they didn’t seem to care about any of it. Traveling in the fall was useless for them. At least in the summertime they could swim or enjoy the hot weather, but it’s fall now, and dipping into fall cooler temperatures. The best they could do was go for hikes or jump in leaf piles, which were all of a sudden beneath them.

“Rey, sweetheart, you look absolutely radiant,” her mother gushed. “I take it being here has helped you along.”

“It has,” Rey knew not to be giving here. Her smile had been stiff and not reached her eyes for a reason. 

Rey clasped her hands and nodded as her mother went on and on about how she just knew that this was what she needed. She brought up changes that were going to be made at home, and how she wished Rey would be a part of it, but understood she needed her time here. Surprising as it was, Rey didn’t expect her mother’s kindness in the whole ordeal. Usually when she brought up change, Rey would be on the next flight home, getting ready for the following day’s events.

Puzzled at the concept that she wasn’t already packing, Rey asked why.

“Oh, I have the best team on it. Stephen said he would have his men make sure that this would be an easy transition,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

Rey could feel her goosebumps rising. What on earth did Stephen think he was doing? He had no business with his parent’s affairs.

“That’s not odd to you?” Rey couldn’t help but state her observation. “The man doesn’t usually help, why would he now? What would he be gaining from getting involved now?”

“Rey?” Her mother’s brow furrowed in concern, “what…”

Several sharp knocks at the door had multiple men hunkering down at the door, waiting for the all clear. Rey saw Jess begin to move from her position, striding right on up to it, saying, “At ease, at ease,” to everyone in the room. “It’s most likely my pizza. I would have ordered more, but I didn’t know you all were coming tonight. Would have been nice to phone ahead.”

Rey knew who was at the door before anyone else. It was like a sixth sense of sorts. Feeling threatened in her own home was a natural feeling across the pond, but here, here she was supposed to be set free.

. . .

Clyde’s eyes had gone wide at the sight of her trembling. He’d only seen her do that when she’d either been out in the crisp autumn air while she’d been sick that last week, or worse, and he hated to remember them, but each and every one of her nightmares made her do it. Sometimes she’d shake so hard he’d have to hold her arms down at her sides until the effects of her fear ended. He remembered studying the dossier all that time ago, and promising himself that he’d never let the man within range of her, and yet, here he is. Clyde’s earpiece whispered information about who had been outside, their count, the vehicles, expectations of the visit as told by a member of their entourage, and yet the man hadn’t made his way in yet.

“Confirmation on confrontation?” he asked, hoping someone would check in.

“Pava is on it,” one of the other bodyguards mentioned.

Pava? Clyde had begun to concentrate on the happenings around him, specifically at the door, moving slightly to protect what was his. 

The more he moved to the door, the more he could hear Jessica’s smug little attitude fill the foyer. She didn’t order pizza. She was openly rejecting the party at the door in front of Rey’s family.

The man’s choice words fizzled out, landing on an assuming phrase he’d expected everyone in the room to understand with his merciless tone, “Dumb American.”

Clyde learned from the time he spent there, finally in tune with the rest of the house, given his infatuation with his girl, that Jess was not one to poke. She couldn’t be turned. She never showed weakness, which truly made him wonder what was up with the girl. Everyone broke at some point, but Jess ate hate like it was fuel.

He watched as she sized up the man and woman beside him. She took a count of the six guards he had with him and opens the door a half a foot more.

“Hey, Seth...Bath,” she nods at the woman.

“It’s Baz—“ the woman tries to correct Jessica.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, Bath. What does matter is you and your men are trespassing. And this dumb American knows how to call the police, so I suggest you go.”

The flick of the plastic wrapper called Clyde’s attention back around the room, finding Rose sharing in the raw cookie dough, supposedly hoping to get through the tension here. Jess had been known to take it too far with Seth, and often, but he hadn’t known that, that is, until Rose counted down from three. 

“That’s the thing, isn’t it Seth? The two of you aren’t one. You just use her to get into daddy’s pants,” Jess hissed, closing the door before he could do anything more. 

Elizabeth strode past her, furiously, challenging her daughter to pick her friends more carefully. 

“This one is obviously rotten,” she huffed. 

“To the core, for the right person, Ma’am,” Jess faked a curtsy as she passed and heads out towards the kitchen for a snack. Unlike the girls hoarding the rest of the dough, Jess picked out a small vine of red grapes, holds it in her hand rather than getting a plate, and headed off to sit down.

Besides Elizabeth going off to retrieve Stephen, afraid the man would leave altogether when she had planned this whole event out for them to spend more time with each other, the rest of the bodyguards, including Earl and Clyde stared at each other. No one made a sound. Not a single radio chirped. Nothing. 

Rey had turned ever so slightly back to face Jess, her hand cupping the side of her face to keep her mother from seeing her delighted expression, simply grinning back at her friend. Her happiness from that simple gesture had amazed him. She’d been so uncomfortable, and now back to herself - just to stiffen at the sound of her mother calling after Stephen not to leave. Clyde watched her beg, her lips mouthing please, one right after the next, making him wonder just how awful this man was. His cheating was one thing, the very fact that it was something that didn’t hurt Rey far as much as it hurt him made him wonder. Clyde supposed it was because he never really was hers. He never took the time. But what was it that stuck with her so awfully that she’d keep silent? 

Clyde promised himself the same way he did when he’d seen the man’s picture for the first time - that he’d get to the bottom of this and erase him from her life if he ever gotten the chance.

Rey’s father, Nigel, tries and fails at controlling his son’s outbreak. His laughter had been attention grabbing too.

“Eww!” he snickered, “Stephen wants to date father?” Fits of laughter grew silent as the boy continued his breathy questions, ending with, “Doesn’t he know you’re married to mother?”

The sound of Elizabeth’s heels rang out on the marble flooring. They had been just louder than her apologies to Stephen, Bazine, and their crew as she ushered them over to Rey, his girl. Clyde remained motionless. Rey’s color drained from her cheeks, and just as soon as it did, her liveliness along with it. 

He watched the man and woman followed by their extensive group march in like they had been purposely in step with the others, a task Clyde did not miss in the army. Seeing it used here made him feel like the man was just flashy for the sake of being so. The woman who was with him, Bazine, had caught his eye. She pierced hers through him, fiercely at first, then took on that of a seductress, one that had him feeling exposed. Clyde had to admit the pair belonged together. They were just as much brimming with potential evil as the next. 

Clyde scans the room once more, taking in the six bodyguards associated with this pair, deciding on the fact that the guy was either paranoid beyond means or matching their efforts. It seemed like a strange move, honestly, but it was something he felt the need to message to Earl, in code of course. He took in the way they were dressed and scanned them for potentially concealing weapons which had been overlooked by Elizabeth as well. He wondered if they were hired to do all of the thinking for them, but it all stopped abruptly as it started when Stephen made it to Rey, stretching his hand out to her to formally take. 

“I’d rather not,” Rey said simply, making Clyde’s heartbeat faster. 

Elizabeth’s intake of air made Jess smile, and the girls pull the remaining dough out of the sleeve. He was sure he was in the middle of some old western given the way the room stood still, neither party bowing to the other. 

“I’ve flown in to see you, my pet,” he said, as if it was a great honor to be his thing. 

Clyde felt his blood come to a steady boil, blistering his skin as it coursed through him. His lady was no ones thing. She was free as a bird, and lovely as one, too - when she was with him. He wanted to learn her. Be in her mind without controlling a single one of her steps. They belonged to her. He felt as though she deserved that right, and so many more. 

“Please don’t call me that,” she whispered, trying desperately not to bring any attention to herself. “I’ve been poorly, and I would really rather you didn’t… touch… me.” Rey cleared her throat in a way that would suggest she might still be a little under the weather, but her complexion couldn’t disagree more. “Please,” Rey stammered, still trying to build that wall between them.

Before he could stop himself, Clyde had forced his way in front of the two, stopping the repeat action. He was her bodyguard after all, and he’d do what he needed to make sure she felt safe. He’d seen it, her change. It had called him. Involved or not, he would stick up for his lady.

It took all he could muster to not call her as such. Claiming her as his would have indefinitely cost him his job, but he’d stayed certainly calmer and more collected than he thought he would when he finally spoke. His gaze settled on the bastard, holding him in place, “The Lady said no.”

Stephen hadn’t folded. Clyde’s sheer size and volume hadn’t shook the man, not like he’d been used to anyway. Instead Stephen took a step closer to Clyde and sized him up despite their differences, smirking as he did.

“It seems your bodyguard doesn’t know his place, darling. Tell me, why does he find me to be a threat? I’m simply asking for my pet’s hand,” he sneered. Stephen hadn’t even looked at her when he spoke, and Clyde could feel the tension in her building, and he wanted to turn to her despite their audience and soothe it all away, but this wasn’t possible now. Now… they were on display.

“Any gentleman would know to listen to his lady. If ya can’t, ya can’t be around her, ya see. She doesn’t need ta go around gainin’ any more stress from the likes of ya. So if ya can’t hear her, listen harder, or ya can count on me ta separate the two of ya,” Clyde glowered at him.

Silence grew between them, Clyde found himself puffing out his chest as if he needed to bring the pain in the event that Stephen couldn’t follow a simple rule. The slight shuffle he’d been using to posture himself in a way to make the smaller man back down from had been just enough for Stephen’s eyes to widen, then drop. Instead of backing down, Stephen reached his right hand out to Clyde, slapping his bicep twice, before laughing loud and hard at him. 

In that moment he felt as though he’d just been smacked in the face for standing up for Rey. His laughter bounced around in the foyer, then trailed off down hallways echoing as it went, like a lasting presence that needed to be exorcised from the home.

“What’s your name?” Stephen questioned, cocking his head to the side in a curious, but knowing way. He’d looked like he was about to strike him down,  _ more like die trying _ , Clyde thought.

Jess interrupted, repeating Dwane “The Rock” Johnson’s saying from before. She supplemented Bath’s name for Seth, visibly irking the man again. 

“If you smelllllll what The Rock is cookin’,” Rey’s brother finished for Jess. The boy put his arms out, posing as if he were standing on the posts, waiting for her to talk him back in.

Elizabeth lost it after that, sending all non family members home, claiming Jess, being “they” couldn’t come back unless they were going to be respectful. Jess, of the many comebacks, simply muttered, “Way to be, Kyle,” as she pushed past the two of them out the door. Once gone, there had been no more interruptions after that. Rose and Kaydel wound up taking an Uber rather than walking, as the effects of the sugar they just ingested took over... and that was it. 

Stephen stared down Clyde, also referring to him as Kyle for the time being, before he’s summoned to his living quarters during his stay. 

“Find out everything you can on that bodyguard, Kyle. I won’t have some hick challenge me over what’s mine,” he hissed at Bazine, who simply nodded as they disappeared down the hall. 

Guards moved with their respective parties, leaving Rey and Clyde where they stood in the center of the room. Each took a turn to eye Clyde before moving on, including Earl. Clyde only stood straighter, returning his gaze, then he too was out of range. 

Rey, who knew not to give into her urges, looked as though she could break. 

“Take me to my quarters,” she breathed, looking up at him through her lashes. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, struggling around the enormity of what he’d just done for her. The hall suddenly felt longer, each step was nothing, and yet time sped up, launching them into her room. She’d reached past him, remembering to lock the door, before taking what was hers. Clyde simply melted the moment her hands traveled up his body, anchoring themselves in his hair. He groaned softly into her mouth while she kissed him, clearly needing this release, the same as him. 

He’s not exactly sure how he managed to get back to his room alone after that, but one thing’s for sure. No ones taking his girl from him. Not now. Not ever.

. . .

The following day had been quiet, to say the least. Elizabeth had done as much as she could to settle back into her regularly scheduled visit, making absolute certain to practically kiss Stephen’s ass and tear her daughter apart in the process. 

“How long they stayin’?” Clyde whispered to Earl. 

“Just til Monday. Early flight back. Nigel’s got another round of trips lined up, but stopped here first ta keep face ‘round here, why do you ask, Miner?”

“Hopin’ ya get more information on the boyfriend and the woman he’s with,” Clyde said in an even tone. 

Earl blew out a sigh over their channel, “And why the sudden interest? The man is under constant, tight surveillance. Nothing gets in or out.”

Clyde rolled his eyes at that, “Except...” he pushed, knowing about the girls. 

“Except for what he wants you to see.”

“Why would Stephen want to show his hook ups when he’s pursuing Rey?”

“Power. These aren’t regular civilians we’re protecting here. They have their motives and the money to support it. I agree there’s something to do with him, but I suggest you focus on your directive, Miner.”

Clyde had been torn from their conversation, listening to Nigel speaking so highly of Stephen’s grandfather, and the effort the two families put into making their country great again. It had surely been through some turmoil over the years, but Stephen’s family always did what was best for the people. It’s what he admired about them. 

“Now, Stephen, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing your family over the ages. I’d even been there when you came into the world. It’s such a shame your mother hadn’t made it much past your birth. No one knew she’d been quite as sick,” he said, his happy memory of them faded in the half of his last sentence. 

It hadn’t been hidden, or discreet in any way. Clyde watched as Stephen rolled his eyes dramatically, adding something equally poisonous, drowning him in an anger he’d only felt a handful of times. He was a good boy. Respected his family - and his Momma the most. The thought of this bastard not even giving a sliver of it, even after the woman gave him life, set the tone for the rest of the trip. If Earl wasn’t going to give him the information he wanted, he hoped Jess would. 

. . . 

By Friday, Stephen and Bazine had been practically breathing down Rey’s neck for time with her. Bazine would stand off to the side, staring daggers into Rey’s head every time Stephen made his way around her. Instead, she did her best to find her happy place. The one on the boat, the feel of Clyde’s strong arms around her, promising that he’d try for her, that what they had was worth fighting for.

It seemed to be far more settling than staying in the moment. Clyde’s stare had been captured so many times over the past twenty-four hours, steadying her during the times she couldn’t escape. The way he looked at her made her feel secure, safe, even if they weren’t. 

As long as the day seemed without her friends, Rey had been thrilled to finally leave for the game. American football had been far more interesting since meeting Rose’s boyfriend, Finn. They’d been going together for nearly four years, and Rey had come to really enjoy his company. Finn, like Rose, came from a morally strong family, and it showed. While he’d been known to over think possibilities, he was also ready to act on them if need be. He was the guy that offered to walk acquaintances home after dark, the one who would take someone’s keys if they had too much to drink, and above all, very good to Rose. 

This year was Finn’s last on the field. He’d been focused on his school work, driven nearly to madness to get his studies done within four years time, and by spring he was due to graduate. It only made sense to go to, first, all his games, and second, definitely his last homecoming.

It had been nice traveling outside of the house again. Separate cars had been used as they were at home, an escort of police doubled in the front and back of the caravan, too. As flashy as it seemed, Rey couldn’t keep her mind off of the man across from her. He’d been good. Careful. He hadn’t leaned forward to kiss her, though she knew that little look, the very one that would make her heart sing and her lips ache of his return. She knew they’d have their moment, somewhere in those halls, she’d get more time with him, alone. But then in that space he’d offered her his hand. It was a simple gesture. One course digit at a time reached out, folding them between hers. 

His hand had kept her warm and her soul alive, having to sit apart from him yet again. At the game, Stephen sat next to Rey, who sat in towards the center of the row. Kaydel and Rose sat down a row from her, thanks to Stephen’s university dressed meat heads, while her parents and family sat to the other side of her. Bazine, she was somewhere... but so long as she wasn’t bothering Clyde, Rey was just fine without the woman. 

She’d caught Bazine openly strutting around Clyde while she was forced to spend the day with them. The woman tried everything, even backing up into him, for Clyde to notice her. But every time, he side stepped her, or removed himself from the situation. His eyes trained on her made Rey feel like she was worth more to him than a body, and because of it, she found herself constantly checking for him.

Her heart beat faster every moment she couldn’t find him, though. They’d been so well hidden in the crowd that even Clyde blended in. Rey, however, calmed right down when she saw Jess arrive. The girl never disappointed. Always wearing the colors of the other team - just to show her unyielding support to a game she couldn’t fathom ever enjoying. She smiled brightly over her shoulder when she spotted them, too. Jess pointed at Clyde, who had been sitting hunched forward and in his ‘ready to strike’ position before sitting down beside him.

Clyde did his best to keep his nerves under control. He found this to be far easier before they met, but everything about her made him feel like a new man... an important man again. Up until this week, their slow and steady relationship had been exactly that. They’d laid the foundation work, and Clyde had been confident that they’d make it somehow. Now with everyone - including the scum that followed Stephen here - it had been a challenge to say the least. 

Bazine, his... assistant, Clyde learned to call her, being that he had no real information on her, was known as Stephen’s personal assistant by day, but he knew what the woman really was. She was a cheater, exactly like Stephen, scrounging around for anyone’s attention, and unfortunately for him, he’d become her target.

Clyde did his best to get that under control, but it only seemed to get worse. She’d become suggestive with the way she’d uncrossed and recrossed her legs, the way she licked her lips and bit them before adding to the conversation, all of her movements he thought were unattractive because they were hers. They were just as much an act as a paid actress. In comparison to his Rey, she didn’t do any of those things - not like that at least. She was a lady, and everything about her made him want to breathe her in deeply and hold her forever. The very thought that she felt the same meant the world to him.

No matter how obnoxious Bazine might have been, he still needed to figure out who this person was. She couldn’t just be a stand in girl. Some woman he brought to visit Stephen’s supposed girlfriend with, because that’s bizarre. Why would an interested woman allow such a thing to occur?

A roar of cheers erupts around the stadium as kick off begins the first quarter. It’s then, when Jess finally sits next to him, that he bothers recognizing she’s there. He doesn’t have to turn to her to notice what she had on or why. Since Jess dropped the bomb, he’d learned how to listen to them. He knew them well, but not better than Rey. His girl was patient, kind, and giving. She’d explained more about her friends than she ever spoke about her family, and Clyde appreciated that, especially today.

“‘S’the matter? Not into football like these freaks?” Jess said, solo cup in hand, picking from the snacks she’d stuffed there. 

Clyde’s lips press together firmly, then fall apart again, ready to answer her while they rise and fall with the crowd to keep eyes on his lady.

“What do you know about Stephen and Bazine?” he asked.

“Well, for starters, that you’re saying their names wrong.” 

Clyde frowned at this. No, he wasn’t. Those are their names. 

“Alright, how long ya been renamin’ folks?” he asked instead.

“Years. So many years I’ve lost track,” she said, offering him a stick of beef jerky. “Careful. It’s hot, and will help deal with the cold.”

Clyde never would admit to being uncomfortable, and certainly wouldn’t start now. He’d die to be wrapped around Rey with a blanket draped around his shoulders here in these stands, or elsewhere, but he wasn’t, and the jerky would have to do. 

“Thanks,” he said, scanning their space once more. “How do ya come up with them? Mine is at least close enough, but I’ve heard what ya call Stephen...”

“You mean Seth?” She nods, looking for another piece. “I do that because it’s obviously not even close, and he hates the fuck out of it.”

“And what about Bazine?” Clyde asked. He knew it was something, but couldn’t quite place what was being said.

“The woman he’s with, for the longest time I was calling her magazine.”

Clyde laughs, coughing several times to clear the piece of jerky he’d popped into his mouth a moment before.

“Can’t be doing that in front of dad and Lizzy. So Bath it is,” Jess shrugged. 

“I don’t see how that’s better.”

“It’s not.” Jess smiles, “it’s just close enough to fuck with her in front of them.”

A beat went by, and Clyde thought to ask if he had an alternative name, too. 

“Nah. Kyle, I’m not heartless. I’m just protecting my people. It’s what I do.”

Rose squeals Finn’s number as he goes out to catch a pass, pausing their conversation again. 

“The kid could have gone pro, but stayed for Rose and school. It’s why I stopped calling him effin,” she shrugged.

“Your people?” Clyde managed around Jess’ subject change.

“She’s gonna wanna see Finn, Kyle.” She changes the topic, nodding in the direction of the isle. Jess got up, leaving the cup with Clyde. In it was a piece of paper he had not seen, which he pocketed without opening in the event that it had sensitive information on it. 

Rey had opted to use the bathroom after the marching band played and the third quarter was underway, leaving Stephen alone again with her family. Clyde found himself checking every door way, every merchant, every student and more, all the way to the women’s room, which he cleared too. Her safety would stay important to him, and though his valiant effort knew no bounds, he knew she couldn’t be free with him there. Part of it hurt him, but he knew she would play by his rules. He knew they’d have their time. He could almost feel her pressed up against him while apart, which was threatening his thoughts. Maybe they could sneak away... maybe it was doable.

The fourth quarter dragged on with calls, kicks and plays that were scrutinized over as if they were playing pro-ball. It had been exhausting to watch, but the student body was better. Had Clyde been off the job he may have enjoyed it more, but ever motion made him anxious. It didn’t help that Stephen had been touching Rey all through the second half. The very fact that he had been leaning in to speak with her drove him crazy. Clyde felt violated for her, and that was enough for him. 

With the clock reading two minutes and thirty-three seconds, Clyde knew that meant there’d be at least another ten to get her back down to the field safely. He stood, barreled down to her at the sight of Stephen leaning in right under her ear. That was his place, he kept himself from growling in frustration, even though with the volume of the crowd he was sure it wouldn’t be heard. Instead he made his way down to her row, offered his hand and moved with her the moment she placed her hand in his urgently down the stairs. He’d known that there would be questions, even Earl had chirped his own set of questions through the man’s ear piece, but all of his answers had been to the point. Thorough enough not to cause more of a scene than he had when he’d gotten up out of his seat.

Rose popped up with Kaydel, moving just as fast. The two knew where they were going; to the field, making sure to tell Rey’s parents where they’d all be.

“If you’re planning on coming down, look for Finn, number twenty-one. Otherwise, we’ll have to meet you back at the house,” Rose rushed out, moving her hand in such a way that she’d been waving to everyone in that section.

While Rey’s mother protested, Nigel eased the tension, reminding them of who was with her. “They have eyes on them wherever they are. We’re covered, and so are they. Besides, this is homecoming. It’s meant to be fun and exciting!” he exclaimed.

Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes at her husband and checked back for Stephen, who also seemed to have disappeared.

Once down on the field, Rey felt weightless, her steps sprung much more on the turf, which made her wonder if it made playing American football easier. To her, it felt like what she thought it would be like to step on the moon, well, with much more gravity. She could feel Clyde’s nerves set in. The crowd had become just as restless as Rose had been, making him feel the need to brace her against him. He reached his arm around her waist, shielded from view thanks to the way Rose and Kaydel had been postured in front of them, and guided her a half step or two back into him. The feel of him against her back had been exquisite. Her fortress, her man,  _ he _ had her.

While Rey’s mother protested, Nigel eased the tension, reminding them of who was with her. “They have eyes on them wherever they are. We’re covered, and so are they. Besides, this is homecoming. It’s meant to be fun and exciting!” he exclaimed.

Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes at her husband and checked back for Stephen who also seemed to have disappeared.

Rey had to fight herself from making a scene. They hadn’t had much coverage besides the growing student body getting ready to surge forward onto the field starting the celebration. There truly hadn’t been anywhere for them to go, not yet… not easily anyhow. Because of it Rey found his other hand with hers, wrapping that one around her as well. It was as if she could speak to him telepathically this way. When they touched, he knew what she wanted in the slightest sway of her hips or trace of her fingertips. It was certainly something she played into - given the fact that her man could listen.

It only takes a second more before the student body flushes out of the stands and onto the turf. Rey moves to congratulate Finn with her friends, moving with the natural flow of the crowd at first. Confetti flies, celebrating their exciting win, cloaking them in a shield of red and white. It was then she tugged Clyde along with her, far off the field, back into where she’d seen the concession stand, far down the hall on impulse alone. It was then when she felt the most alive, running off with her bodyguard for some form of privacy. She’d been built up all day. Silenced, begged… berated… and now in this man’s presence, she could finally breathe.

Rey giggled, pulling Clyde deep within what looked like a supply closet of sorts to enjoy him.

“I can’t believe that worked,” she whispered in astonishment. Her body sung with excitement, softly guiding Clyde’s hands to her hips, her own finding their way into his hair. Rey found she absolutely loved doing it, especially when he’d shudder as he was now.

Clyde could only use a sound or two to mutter his agreement.

“Did you get my note?” she asked, nuzzling into his cheek.

“Is that what it was? I didn’t open it thinkin’ maybe it was somethin’ case sensitive. Ya know like somethin’ for my eyes only?” he smirked, melting into her lips as she kissed the corner of his mouth.

There was no stopping her when Clyde smirked at Rey. Her lips traveled over his until she was centered enough to kiss him deeply.

“There was,” she breathed, “I have something waiting for you at home,” she said pulling him closer still.

“Can’t be better than ya,” he admitted.

“It’s not better than us, Clyde. Nothing could be better than what we have. But it’s something I’d like to remember with you.”

. . .

At home Clyde found out what she meant. In her chambers, he had been handed a mask, which he held carefully because she had given it to him. 

He listened to her explain that this had been a tradition that the school had put together years ago. Alumni and their families were welcomed to attend, which is why hers showed up every year. They had made it somewhat of a tradition, stopping their previously scheduled plans to come home to Ithaca to go enjoy such an event. It was one that she had wanted to invite him in on. One he couldn’t refuse.

Together they clipped the heads of some of daisies Clyde had brought in for her, that he found growing at the edge of the lake just yesterday. It would have been nice to leave them alone, but she was his flower, and her mask should reflect that, he thought. Her green silk mask had already been lined in fine white lace around the edges. Delicate and strong, he thought, just like his lady. Clyde found himself picking out the most beautiful ones he could find for her to layer in a bunch on the left side of her mask, mentioning how pretty she would be some day holding such a bouquet.

All his air left his lungs when she paused from fixing his with a tiny bud. She looked at him in wonder. The fading light in her room turned from silver to golden as the sun set , warming her presence that much more. She looked like an angel, and Clyde wouldn’t dare correct himself. He watched her lift back to her full height, certainly not ready for her to leap into his arms given their closeness, but she did all the same.

Having his lady in his arms was like being offered all his favorite things in the world all at once. Clyde could feel his lips meet hers, his hands delving deeply into her hair as his tongue danced in tune with hers as they kissed with all the longing they both had felt over the last few days.

“Rey, darlin’, I missed ya so much…” Clyde breathed against her lips as his forehead leaned against hers. 

“I know. I’ve missed you too. I’ve wanted to go to you every night, just to make sure you’re okay. I know the other guards won’t let anything happen to any of us, but they aren’t  _ you _ . And I definitely don’t want to kiss any of them like I want to kiss you. All the time.”

Clyde let a chuckle leave his lips at her declaration. “Well, can’t say I’m not happy ta hear that, darlin’. Dare say I don’t wanna get in no scraps with my co-workers over that. That…  _ thing _ that tries ta put his hands on ya, though. Can’t tell ya how bad I wanna pummel him into a bloody mess. How dare he treat ya like a possession!”

Rey sighed, her breath ghosting over his lips as she did so. “I know. I… I’m trapped in that relationship, Clyde. My… my Father wants me to date him for some reason. Even when we were children he wanted us to date.” Her arms tightened around his neck, and her body shuddered with tension for a moment.

“Hey… shhh. I shouldn’ta brought him up none. I’m doin’ my best to keep from bustin’ his nose every time he tries ta touch ya. It’s hard to remind myself that ya haveta play along, ya know? I just… I don’t like seein’ anyone else touchin’ ya like that.” Clyde hoped he hadn’t gone too far with his admissions, but he couldn’t help it. He was gone for Rey, and he hoped she knew just how much.

“I know. He makes my skin crawl. Can… can we not talk about him right now? We have the house to ourselves, and we got our masks done. Let’s just enjoy each other before we have to go back to being apart?”

“I’m okay with that,” Clyde grinned and pressed his lips to hers again, humming softly as her fingers threaded through his hair and she brought one leg up, hooking her ankle around his thigh as they kissed. “Darlin’, ya taste like heaven. You’re so beautiful, like a damn angel sent down from above.”

He could feel the heat coming to his face, and Rey let out a gasp against his lips as he backed them both towards her bed. She laid down on it willingly, his long frame covering hers completely as their lips met again and again, each time with increasing passion.

Rey knew she was a goner for this man, and as she felt his length against her thigh, grower harder with each scrape of her teeth over his bottom lip, Rey made a decision. She wanted more of this man. She wanted the least amount of clothes between them, and she most assuredly wanted his skin against hers. She couldn’t remember ever wanting a man as badly as she wanted Clyde Logan.

Was it because he was forbidden to her? Her parents, his boss - no one could know about them - even if her friends had ideas. She and Clyde existed in their own happy little bubble, one that no one had been able to burst until her family showed up with Stephen in tow.

How could someone who made her so happy, who looked at her like she was some precious work of art - be off limits for her? She had never felt more at peace with anyone than she did with Clyde.

As Clyde covered Rey’s body with his own, the only thought in his mind was that certainly he had died and gone to heaven. Rey was an angel, and as his heart thudded away in his chest, she was all he could think about as her slender fingers caressed his scalp, her perfect, soft lips moving against his. The dance they were sharing was a slow, sensual one that Clyde knew would end with his skin against hers, and he wanted that - wanted to  _ feel _ her skin against his - more than anything. His hand came to rest on her side, his fingers grasping the hem of her shirt, and Clyde was determined to touch her when he felt her hips roll against him, his hard length reacting by sending shivers across every nerve ending in his body.

Clyde let out a moan, rolling his own hips against her in response, loving the way Rey gasped into their joined mouths as his length came into contact with her swollen nub, the clothing between them providing sweet friction to them both.

“Oh Rey, darlin’, I wanna touch ya so badly,” Clyde breathed out between kisses, his fingers lingering over the fabric keeping them both from the one thing they truly wanted from the other. The feeling of her hand leaving his hair as her tongue lapped at the seam of his full lips had Clyde wondering just what his gal was up to, until he felt her palm at the place where their bodies were thrusting against each other, and as her fingers started stroking gently along his length, adding to the already sweet friction of their hips moving together, Clyde knew it wouldn’t be much longer before he would tip over that sweet edge - and all he could do was hope she came along with him.

Judging from the sweet gasps and moans she was making against his lips, she was enjoying what was happening between them so far. Rey pulled her hand away from his length, and Clyde let out a low moan of frustration, pulling his lips away from his to plant a soft, wet trail of kisses across her face to her ear, his body thrumming with need as her fingers started to work at the buttons on his shirt.

“Darlin’, yer the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I wanna take care of ya, sweetheart. I wanna make sure you’re satisfied. Rey, I lo-”

A thud sounded from below them, followed by the front door of the mansion slamming shut, Rey’s little brother giggling and then yelling about something they had seen while they were out. Clyde jumped off the bed as quickly as he could, Rey following suit and coming to stand before him, her bright hazel eyes meeting his as she reached out with shaking hands to button up his shirt as quickly as she could.

Standing on tiptoes, she planted a kiss to his lips, remarking quietly, “You need to get out of here. We’ll find a way to have a dance tonight, okay?”

Clyde nodded and started to move towards the exit of her room, and her voice stopped him as his hand closed around the door handle. 

“Clyde… what you were about to say to me?”

“Yeah, darlin’?” Clyde half turned to look at her as Earl’s voice rang out in the earpiece he had fished out of his shirt pocket and slid back in place as he was jumping away from Rey.

“I know. I feel it, too.”

Clyde twisted one half of his mouth up into a smile as he turned the door handle and answered Earl, watching as Rey blew a kiss at him, reaching out with one hand to ‘catch’ it as he closed the door behind her. “Yeah, Slugger. Just delivering my package to its destination.”

….

As Clyde dressed in a suit that Rey had picked out, tucking a daisy into his pocket and fastening the mask to his face, he let a sigh come to his lips as he prepared for a night filled with frustration. He should be the one escorting Rey to this masquerade ball, not the smarmy, egotistical idiot that got to touch her all night long, parading her around like she  _ belonged _ to him. Clyde would never even ponder thinking that Rey belonged to him, like some kind of possession. Rey wasn’t a possession. She didn’t belong to anyone. If she were his girl, officially, she would be his partner in life, an equal shareholder in their relationship. Not some trophy.

The door to her room opened, and Rey stepped into the hallway. Clyde tried not to gape at her, but she simply took his breath away with her beauty. Their eyes met, and Rey smiled at him, taking an involuntary step towards him before their magical moment was shattered by Elizabeth’s voice from behind them.

“Stephen is waiting downstairs, Rey. You look lovely in that shade of green.”

Clyde simply nodded at Rey, a neutral gesture he used to indicate she could move with him, that it was safe. As he turned towards the stairs, watching as Elizabeth headed down them, he risked a whisper to the lady walking beside him.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I ever seen, darlin’.”

It had been hard enough to walk beside her without the need to hold her hand. His own ached to touch her again. Her dress was a shapely, strapless one, which had not only shown off her curves but also revealed her freckled shoulders, slender neck and oh, how he longed to kiss her there. He remembered how she moved to him just before, allowing his lips to rove over her skin. Clyde found himself in a daze, doing his best to remember himself in front of her family and the rest of the guarding staff, especially Earl.

She moved with such elegance and grace, just as she always had, but tonight he seemed that much more in tune with it. Rey’s gown flared out at the knee, embroidered beading sparkled in the hall’s light as they made it to the foyer, meeting up with the rest of their party, when Stephen flanked her, catching the pair of guards.

“Ah, my darling. There you are,” Stephen greeted her, stealing Rey away from him. There had been a warning passed between the two men. One of piercing stares and slight scowls, quick enough to remain hidden under the untrained eye.

Rey had openly grunted her frustrations, just enough to stay between the three of them before being called upon by her mother.

“I just adore what you’ve done with your mask, Rey. Don’t you Stephen?” she asked, brushing by Clyde as if he was just a shadow in the room.

“I suppose,” he replied, cocking his head to the side to look at her craftsmanship. “It isn’t quite traditional to use anything but silk flowers for this reason,” he pulled a few petals from the flowing feathers behind them, “they get stuck where they don’t belong.”

Rey moved away at the feel of his tug. It had been slight, but unwanted, which made her flinch, sending Clyde’s fury into overdrive. It hadn’t helped that he wanted her, that he’d been so close to telling her how he really felt about her. It had been hard to be her bodyguard all this time, his feelings built a foundation steady enough to raise empires even though he’d rather just have them and a little family all their own one day, they still had what they needed. Rey was so good. Such a genuine person, he knew early on he’d been gone for her. And, well, hearing she felt it too darn well made his heart leap out of his chest. Seeing this happen before his very eyes made him feel the need to be super focused on Rey. More so than he had been. Rey was his, not because he said, but because she wanted this. She wanted him.

“Come along, my pet,” Stephen held out his hand waiting for her to take it.

Rey looked around at the ground, finding the three fallen petals on her dress behind her instead. She bent slightly to retrieve the delicate pieces, claiming she’d much rather hold them instead.

This simple action had Clyde’s heart about to explode out of his chest. She didn’t have to say it, she chose him.

. . .

The ride over had been tense, to say the least, being that both Stephen and Bazine had insisted on riding with her and Clyde. Rey watched on as she slid in by her man, cringing as the woman’s glittery number over accentuated her form. She’d scooted closer to Clyde, her slit ran high up her thigh, exposing her in quite a way that made Rey’s stomach turn. She’d chase him in the car, running the side of her calf against his. Clyde, who wasn’t forced into a fake relationship, had been clear each time she’d done it not to continue. Even Stephen had gotten in on the fun, teasing the man that he obviously wasn’t one if he didn’t find this voluptuous creature attractive. 

Rey wanted to scream. The evidence had been written all over her face, despite the mask she wore. She was sure that this night may be her breaking point. She’d already begun to shake Stephen from her mind, focusing on one person, and one alone. Clyde Logan. Tonight they’d have their time...even if she had to run away with him to have it.

Willard Straight Hall, like most of the architecture in Ithaca, Rey found beautiful. It reminded her of a castle of sorts, the stone work alone had been enough to draw in events of all kinds - including weddings. Her mind travelled to the very thought of what hers could be like, if it would be there, or somewhere similar. Or if it wasn’t, would it be in a place her mister called home, a smile came to her lips as she dreamed. She’d been so far away the moment she had stepped out of their vehicle. Her eyes remained cast high over the tops of both Stephen and Bazine’s heads, as if she could survive this torture making her way towards the doorway. She still held tightly on to her petals, refusing to give them up to anyone, not even her mother who came to stand beside her. 

“Rey,” her tone was hushed and between themselves. Her mother challenged her with her hardened eyes, softening slightly only when seeing Stephen step in beside her. Rey closed her eyes painfully, opening them far slower than she should have. Her mascara now moistened from hiding her sadness caught her mother’s eye. 

“May I talk to you?” she whispered, “Alone?” Stephen settled his hand against her back, looking to guide her away from her mother as if the question hadn’t happened. 

Her mother seemed deaf to her. It had been a sign that there was no way out of this life, she was sure of it. Her mind started to race, as the very fabric of their relationship had been torn. She watched in slow motion as each stitch had come loose with each passing step she had been forced to take with Stephen.

The light escaping into the night had been bright, but certainly not comforting. Not with him. Stephen had forced her in, clouded her thoughts, poisoned her mind in such a way it had been hard to find her friends, let alone Clyde. No matter where she turned, she’d seen strangers, people who’d look at her like she was nothing more than another trophy on a wealthy man’s arm. It had been such an empty thought that it had been hard to introduce even herself to those who had asked her name. 

A sparkling form looked as if it had been pushed to the side, just out of the corner of her eye. Was that Bazine? Was she on...Clyde? Her brow bent behind her mask thinking about how she could never deserve him. Her sight seemed to come back into focus after that. It had been him. He moved around the room, fixing his cuff links every so often. He’d turn his face to the side and return comments to his team, all while wearing his mask they made together. She’d looked around the room now, finding each of her family’s bodyguards not doing the same, their faces showing, despite the theme. 

. . . 

Bath had been wearing a fragrance that overpowered the room. Wherever she went there was at least a three foot radius warning those in all directions that she’d be coming, or going for that matter. It wasn’t even a tasteful brand, Clyde thought, missing the scent that Rey would wear. He’d wondered if she was wearing it tonight, or if she’d done that specifically for him. A faint smile came to his lips at the thought. 

The first time she’d worn it that he could remember was the first formal dinner she’d been to with him - that same night they’d collided. He’d wondered if it was for the dinner, or for him that very night, just in the way that she’d responded to him, daring not to think much more of it back then. Now with all that had happened between them, he was nearly sure of it. Though, with Seth’s presence, even at this fancy party, he wasn’t sure if she would have. His girl wouldn’t try attracting anyone else to her if she had a say in it. She’d stay his and keep their things between them.

These thoughts brought him back to Bath, who couldn’t seem to understand his need for personal space. He had a job to do, after all. Clyde moved subtly with Rey, doing his absolute best not to sneer at the animal handling his lady. And what a fine woman he had. She lit up his life in such a way he couldn’t find words for. No other words than the three he’d been dying to say for months now mattered. It was all he wanted to tell her. She mattered to him, and there would never be another.

Bath seemed to take his smile as an invitation to cling to his body the way her perfume saturated to hers. Several times he choked on her smell, and even guided her away in a sweeping motion to reconnect with his girl. While he couldn’t handle seeing that deranged thing touch her, he had to know that she was still alright.

“Kyle,” Jess snuck up beside him, giving Clyde a start. He’d nearly launched his other arm to snare her form too had she not openly called him by his nickname.

“Jess,” he answered tightly.

“Bath,” Jess nodded to the woman, to the left of him. “You know they put the soap out for all the guests, not just you, right?”

Bazine scowled at the woman, who only continued telling her that if she tired of the fragrance she’d currently been sporting, that they now had mixed berry and pomegranate lotions in there instead. She’d spent time correcting Jess, pointing fingers, ready to throw punches like the trash she was, and Jess stood there, unamused, not giving her the satisfaction of looking the woman in her eyes.

Instead, Jess kept her face forward, watching Rey and scanning the room like Clyde and his team. She stood in her embroidered navy dress that flowed around her at her hip, an opening in the front revealing a knee length skirt underneath the lacy, floor length one around it, while the top of her dress had matched the bottom, coming up to a silver band around her neck, leaving her back revealed. It was strange though, seeing her dressed up. She hadn’t been one to stray much from her hoodies and jeans if she could help it. Not that Clyde cared, but it did still come to him as a shock, revealed that his mask didn’t give that away.

Cattiness continued until Jess hissed, “Your master is looking for his pet,” to which her head snapped back over to the monster himself. It had been obvious to the both of them who she served, not just on paper, but in bed, too.

Silence grew between the two as Bath left.

Clyde idly wondered if she’d gotten dressed up for anyone in particular, especially remembering the way that one of the guards on his team, one that didn’t spend any time with her, knew her by her last name. It seemed… odd.

“Let’s go, Batman,” she said, turning a heel.

“I thought ya said ya didn’t have more nicknames for me,” Clyde said, his statement hanging between that and a question.

“I didn’t then. I do now,” she replied simply.

“Why’s that?” he asked.

Jess didn’t speak for the longest time, allowing her plan to take place before moving with Clyde around the room.

“I have eyes on Rey. She’s safe where she is. Now, I need you to follow my directions, Batman, or you’ll miss your dance with your leading lady.”

. . .

Her eyes found Clyde’s yet again, the warmth there had been too much to bear given her predicament. Rey felt the need to run to him, rolling away from Stephen’s hold, ignoring the man’s scowl. She’d stepped away from him while he’d introduced her to some other alumni with deep pockets without a word. 

Frustration that had been brewing since this day had started had her considering ripping a slit of her own in her blasted mermaid dress. He was so close and yet so far from her given the steps she wanted to take. 

A hand had landed right at her wrist that she had ripped away from, only to hear her name in a welcoming way. It was that of a friend. Rose. 

“Rey, you look gorgeous,” she gushed. “We’d have been there, but Seth creeps me out.”

Rose’s dress was delightful, Rey noticed, commenting on how beautiful hers was, she’d learned that a friend of hers had made it. The man had focused on the double layering of her skirt which he wanted to be sure was her. 

“It reminds me of rose petals,” she giggled as Finn rounded Rey’s side to meet up with his date. He’d moved a curl of her hair over her ear, revealing the silky fabric over her shoulder too. 

“It’s beautiful. We’ll have to thank Poe again, if we see him tonight,” Finn said smiling widely. “Speaking of, you can thank me later,” Finn said, hooking her arm. 

“Thank you later?” Rey repeated. 

“Yep,” Rose hooked the other, guiding her into the student body that was in attendance. “We have a plan to keep you away from the sleezeball,” she winked. 

Finn took the lead, dancing with Rey first. 

“So? What do you think?” he asked. “Don’t I look like the dark knight himself?”

Rey laughed, swaying to the music with one of her fondest American friends. “I think you may be missing something?”

“And what’s that?”

“Doesn’t Batman own a cape?”

“Oh, there’s a cape!” he exclaimed, full of life as he’d always been. “Rose made me hang it up, though. It’s in with the coats.”

Rey laughed a little harder. 

“Your man of mystery may or may not be getting fitted for it. He literally looks like Batman with a daisy in his hair,” Finn added, spinning her away from his body to another of her friends.

This time Kaydel appeared, in a champagne colored, long sleeve dress that was just as functional as she was. Kaydel had no real interest in fashion, in fact, if the woman couldn’t wear a bra with an outfit, she wasn’t going. Her dress shimmered, but had been soft, a heavy velour-like material that she favored for cooler months. 

Kaydel simply smiled, certainly a knowing one, that made Rey return the gesture. Neither spoke, but once again she’d been spun, the lights dimming as they went only to find Jess, who moved with the two of them to Kaydel’s next target, a tall man with curly dark hair, olive skin and a heart warming, wonderful smile, headed off in another direction with her friend. 

If Rey had a moment, she’d have wondered if Kaydel was seeing the Dean of Sciences, and if that man was it. She supposed she’d find out when everything cooled down at home and she could speak freely again. 

Jess, who could not stand dancing, counted her steps and apologized through a string of curses Rey hadn’t heard used together before all the way, until the pair moved out the door unnoticed into a long hallway.

They’d made it only steps before Jess instructed her to remove her shoes. Her friend did the same, clasping her hand after and running through the hall, deep into the moonlit corridor. 

“Watch your step by the window...wait on the other side. Package en route.”

“Package?” Rey questioned. 

Jess only smiled in response, making her way back towards the doorway. 

...

Clyde followed Rey outside the hall, watching as she stepped into one of the many small alcoves built into the structure, a large column mostly blocking them from any prying eyes. Turning so she was facing him, Rey threw her arms around his neck, molding her body to his. Her lips pressed against his, and Clyde let out a frustrated growl as he kissed her back fiercely.

Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers, both of them panting slightly in the night air. “I want to pummel that slimeball every time he puts his hand on ya, darlin’. I’m doing my best, but I hate this. Ya look so damn beautiful, and he’s lookin’ at ya like yer a damn trophy and not a livin’, breathin’ person with a brilliant mind that can think for yerself. It ain’t right, the way he treats ya.”

“I know. I… I’d rather be with you tonight. You make me feel good, and the way you look at me makes me feel alive and treasured. We just need to hang on a couple more days, then they’ll be gone and we can have the house to ourselves again.” Rey’s voice was calming, and Clyde took in a deep breath, his arms tightening around her as she smiled up at him.

“I believe I promised you a dance, anyways,” Rey continued, one of her hands plunging into his hair as she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling like stars as he stared into them. “Tell me what you started to say earlier, Clyde. I need to hear it tonight from you.”

Clyde pulled her closer then, shuffling them in tiny circles as they danced to the muted strains of music drifting through the crisp autumn air. His lips met hers, his tongue dancing against hers for a long time before he trailed delicate kisses over her cheek and to her ear.

“I love ya, darlin’, I have for a while now.” Clyde’s heart was fluttering in his chest as he pulled away to look in Rey’s eyes. She deserved to see how he felt along with the words. Taking one of her delicate hands from around his neck, he placed it over his heart, repeating the words as he gazed into her starry eyes. “I love you, Rey.”

“I love you too, Clyde. Everything makes sense with you, like a puzzle I was trying to put together but never could. You’re the piece I was searching for to make it all work.”

Rey pressed her lips to his again as they danced, keeping one arm around his neck as they danced, her other hand resting on his chest, where she swore she could feel his heart thrumming away in his chest, beating in time with her own.

Clyde’s earpiece hummed to life, Earl’s voice coming through. “Miner, check in. Daisy’s date is looking for her, along with that mean looking bitch who follows him around.”

Clyde pulled away from Rey, his hand coming up to squeeze the hand on her chest softly. “We gotta move, darlin’. Your date is lookin’ for ya, along with that harpy that follows him around everywhere.”

Reaching up, Clyde activated his earpiece. “Miner here. Daisy had stepped outside for some fresh air. Movin’ back inside now.”

“Copy that, Miner.”

As they moved side by side back towards the main hall, neither Clyde nor Rey noticed the daisies that had come off their masks while they had been kissing. As Stephen and Bazine stepped into the area a few moments later in their search for the couple, their eyes were drawn to the flowers lying haphazardly on the ground, and they looked at each other, a knowing look lighting up both their faces.

They may have what they needed for their plan to come to fruition.

. . . 

That night had been a roller coaster. The moment Rey set foot in the house she’d wanted to slam the door in Stephen’s face, locking him out of her life completely. He’d overstayed his welcome in her life, with no hope of ever escaping it on her own. There were no words, she could see anyway, that would get through to her mother and the problems that lie within their fake relationship. Nothing could fix this. Not her, anyway. But Clyde, her knight in a tuxedo, could save her with just a smile. The man knew how to be a man, a good one. One that would keep her safe, one that could keep her strong… she could count on him, be herself with him...

Rey wanted that more than anything in the world before she met Clyde, to be able to be herself, rather than a pretty piece of flesh for someone to own. Not even her siblings had been treated in such a way, but they were younger, and she hoped for them that they would never know this life.

Clyde brushed his arm ever so slightly against hers, giving her a chance to come back and be on guard, even though he had been already. She knew what he was up to, and just the slightest touch made her eyes roll back into her head in ecstasy.

It had been enough to be seen, unfortunately for her. Stephen’s eyes bored into her own, stilling her terribly.

“Rey? What’s wrong?” her mother asked, watching her body language shift. Had she been truly interested, she’d been watching all along, but the words coming from her mother were without feeling. They were without true concern.

“Nothing. Just tired,” Rey toed out of her heels, something that she would have been hollered at for doing, being that a lady would not do such things until she’d been behind closed doors, but Rey had taken down the hall at such a pace Clyde found himself using some of his longest strides to keep up with her.

Once they’d turned the corner and were just beyond earshot, she heard Clyde try to comfort her, only to be silenced by their followers. Stephen moved between them, leaning closely to her frame, looking down at Rey in such a way that she’d flinched. Her mother followed, but Rey paid no mind to her.

“Let me in, my darling,” Stephen said, looking down at Rey.

“I’d rather not,” Rey returned, her voice quaking as she ushered the terrifying words from her lips, only emboldened by her mask and Clyde standing in the center of the hallway.   
  
“I believe you’ve misspoken, my pet,” Stephen hissed, baring his clenched teeth as he spoke. His eyes were wild with fury.

Rey shook her head just slightly, hoping someone would intervene.

No one did.

Instead, Rey saw the way Clyde studied the man before her, ready to pounce if he laid a finger on her, she was sure of it. Hadn’t he said it before?

Rey wordlessly twisted the knob to open the door, opening it slightly to push her way through without having to spare a space for anyone but her lithe little body to move around. She’d closed and locked it just as swiftly, leaving everyone, including the man she loved, in the hall.

It seemed like hours had passed that she’d stayed in her dress, waiting for footsteps to move out from beyond her door. She been desperate to lay her ear against her door, to listen for silence beyond it, but even her door moved slightly while locked. The last thing she needed to feel was the panic that could set in at any moment when Stephen could threaten to break down the door to get to her. The thought always crossed her mind. It’s exactly why she doesn’t try to lay on the floor and see if the coast is clear. She’d even tried with a mirror on a stick once, finding his anger with her cut her to the core.

Rey happened to check her clock, finding that it had only been just about an hour when she had started preparing herself for bed. There would be no happy ending tonight, she thought. She’d simply have to wait until the evil left their property before she could properly thank Clyde for tonight. Oh, the way her heart hammered in her chest for him, chasing their forbidden love had been a rush, but she loved him beyond that - and one day she promised herself that she would find a way to solidify that bond.

. . .

Stephen hung outside her door, her mother staring at the men in the hallway, Clyde several steps behind him, until he found the ease in her silence. Clyde’s usual spot was the wall opposite her room, but tonight he found it imperative that he stand on her side, guarding the knob without standing in front of the door.

The attachment couldn’t completely understand her rejection, and her mother was of no help. Clyde knew his mother would have stuck it out with him until he reached a place in his mind that he could deal with whatever problem was bothering him, but Rey’s mother had some disconnect with her - and it showed.

When the woman left, Clyde watched as Seth reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Something about the cruel way he stared at the door told Clyde to record whatever this man did. A video recording would have been more difficult, being that there would be no real way to record the man without him seeing, or without Clyde being unprofessional. Instead, he presses a series of buttons on the phone in his pocket, finding the function to record audio.

Seth punches in a number rather than scrolling through his contacts before pulling the phone up to his ear. The first words out of his mouth were clearly not English, or any form of it to say the least. Clyde stared at the wall in front of him while Seth went on and on, flailing his arms and staring back at the door that stayed closed in his face.

There had been a couple of times that Clyde thought he’d heard the language before, but had no idea what those words meant. Some of them continued on for what felt like forever. Strings of phrases washed over him, hoping that whatever the man had been saying would get him into unyielding trouble. If only he could get this conversation decoded before the asshole packed up and left. Maybe Clyde could be the hero, he thought. Maybe then he could openly express his love for their daughter without question.

By the time the conversation had been finished, Stephen stared again at Rey’s door, giving him instructions to have her sent to him, “If I have to send my own guard to retrieve her, so be it, but your blood will be splattered on the floor if you should get in my way,” he challenged.

Clyde waited until the coast was clear to send Earl the message, asking that it gets decoded, and quickly. Next, he taps out Jess’ number, making sure she has the information as well. If Clyde had learned anything from these two slime-balls, it was that they couldn’t be trusted. The more that knew, the quicker they could get them out of the picture.

...

As the guards not on duty hung out in their designated area in the mansion, Clyde felt restless and lost. He had spent every moment with Rey for the last few months, and they had grown used to their routine – a routine which was thrown into chaos since the arrival of her family and…  _ him. _

Earl eyed him as Clyde slid into a chair next to him, reaching into the mini fridge and grabbing a beer out before offering it to Clyde. Smiling in thanks, Clyde twisted the top off and tossed the cap into the wastebasket, grinning as it went in perfectly.

Leaning over, Earl said quietly, “Miner, did I ever tell you the story about how Speedy got transferred to our team?”

“Nope,” Clyde said, chugging down half the beer as he waited for Earl to continue.

“So, Speedy was guarding some Minister of Finance’s family, you see? He, um, well, he got caught in a less than respectful pose with the Minister’s daughter. We’re talking balls deep, over a desk kinda pose here. He got transferred to us quicker than shit, and the daughter got sent off to some boarding school in a different country – with a female guard. I guess what I’m saying here, Miner, is to make sure you’re doing your job, and not letting your feelings get you in trouble. Understand?”

Clyde kept his face neutral, simply cocking an eyebrow at his boss. “Affirmative, Slugger. Although I ain’t quite sure why ya decided to tell me this little story of yours.” He brought the bottle to his lips, taking another long swallow as Earl eyed him.

“Because, Miner… the other guys might not pick up on it, but you and I have been working together a long ass time, and I have never seen you look at a woman the way you look at her. Your eyes are always on her, and I think she just might feel the same way as you do by the way she looks at you.” Earl sat back in his seat, downing the rest of his beer before looking at Clyde even closer.

“I’m asking you, as your friend, to be careful here. Be discreet and don’t get yourself caught, copy? You’re my best guard. As your boss, I have to ask you, Miner, is your head still in the game here, or have those feelings clouded your judgment when it comes to your lovely flower?”

“Copy that, Slugger. And my head is where it needs ta be. Her safety is first and foremost, no matter what. I got a line in the sand, and I don’t stray over it none when the time comes ta be her guard. She knows that. She understands that.” Clyde looked at his boss, draining his own beer and trying to stay calm.

Because he knew that line in the sand was blurry, at best. He hadn’t lied, though. Rey’s safety would always be first and foremost to him.

....

Sunday night had both Rey and Clyde breathing a bit easier. One more night apart, and then they could go back to their happy routine - and they could finally explore the feelings they had admitted to one another the night before.

They could be happily in love with each other - no restrictions. No one looking over their shoulder, analyzing every move each of them made. It had been the hardest few days in recent memory for Clyde. All he wanted to do was hold his girl close and kiss her senseless, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright.

Instead, his Lady was a nervous wreck. Clyde could feel it coming off her in waves as she walked beside Stephen along the corridor leading to her room, Clyde walking behind them as usual. The smarmy little punk had been glued to Rey’s side all damn day, leaving the model thin harpy he had brought with him alone to flirt with Clyde all day. Luckily, Clyde knew how to ignore her - his directive was Rey, after all.

Still, he saw the way Rey’s jaw clenched every time Bazine batted her eyelashes at him or put her hand on his arm. He knew Rey saw the way his fists clenched at his sides every time Stephen leaned close to whisper to her, or put his hand on the small of her back as they stood next to each other.

It was pure agony for them both.

The pair stopped outside Rey’s room, his lady muttering a quick ‘Good Night’ to him as her hand closed around the door handle. Clyde settled into the small alcove across the hall from Rey’s room, his fists clenching and unclenching at his side as Stephen placed his hand on the small of Rey’s back, leaning in to whisper something to her. Rey turned the handle to go inside her room when Stephen grabbed her arm, spinning her into his arms as he crashed his lips into hers. The kiss was possessive and brutal, and Clyde had to brace himself against the wall to keep from crossing the hallway to pummel the boy into a smear of blood and bone on the floor. Stephen pulled away from Rey, retrieving something from his pocket and grabbing her hand. As he slipped something onto her finger, he gave her a smile, his eyes sliding over to Clyde’s briefly before going back to Rey’s. 

“I think it’s time to make our engagement official, my darling, don’t you? We can have the engagement party when you come home for winter break. I believe your Mum is already working on the arrangements, and your Dad gave me permission earlier this weekend." Stephen’s hand slid up to her face, cupping her chin as he kissed her again, reaching behind Rey to turn the door handle before pressing them both into her room, closing the door and leaving Clyde in agony as he pondered whether he should barge in the room or not.

When he didn’t hear Rey protesting or screaming - or even yelling at the man, Clyde stood silently on guard, as still as a statue despite the cold fingers gripping his heart and squeezing it.

Rey hated every moment she had to spend with Stephen. She hated the sound of his voice. It was sharp and grated on her nerves - unlike Clyde’s soft Southern drawl, which made her heart start beating faster every time he spoke. She hated the way Stephen put his hand on her back as they walked, or the way he slid his hand into hers. She hated the way he pretended to be in love with her, when both of them knew he wasn’t.

She hated the look in Clyde’s eyes the most though. Her man was in agony, and it was almost as if Stephen knew his words and actions were cutting him to shreds inside.

As Stephen slid a ring onto her finger, Rey felt a weight settle around her neck, hanging heavy and threatening to drown her in a life she didn’t want any longer. She just wanted one thing, with one person.

A life here in Ithaca, with Clyde.

Stephen slid them both into her room, closing them off from the only person who made her feel safe, and Rey felt the weight of her obligation even more now. She stepped away from Stephen, pulling her arm from him as she glared at him, opening her mouth to verbally assault him.

She never got a chance, because Stephen's hand was covering her mouth as he pulled her roughly towards his body. "Listen,  _ pet _ ," he spat into her ear, even as his other hand came up to caress her cheek, "You've been embarrassing me all weekend, treating me like I don't matter, like you want nothing to do with me, and I've had quite enough. You're to be my wife, and you need to act like it."

His lips crashed down on hers in a brutal kiss, one hand fisting in her hair and pulling painfully. He pulled away, his eyes glittering dangerously as the hand in her hair moved to cover her mouth again, his words full of venom still as he spoke again.

"I see the way you look at him. Your bodyguard."

Rey tried to keep herself calm, tried to stiffen her body and tuck herself away in her mind. She wanted to be anywhere else but here. She wanted to yank the ring off her finger and throw it in his face.

She wanted to be in Clyde's arms - where she belonged. Where she felt safe and treasured.

Instead, she was bound by duty and obligation to the disgusting creature currently berating her.

"One word to your father, and he'll be sacked. That would be so gratifying for me, to watch him crawl back to his single wide trash heap in the south. Would that break your heart,  _ pet _ ?"

Stephen's lips came down on hers one more, and Rey stayed stiff as a board as his lips bruised hers, his tongue flicking against her tightly closed lips. She was terrified that he was going to make good on his threat to have Clyde fired, her heart pounding in her chest as she thought about going through a day without him.

She knew she had to give, just a little, to get this insufferable man out of her sight, so she opened her lips and let him inside to explore.

He pulled away after a moment, letting a finger drift across her bottom lip, then across her cheek, down over her collarbone and just to the side of her breast, barely making contact with it. His eyes burned into hers as he whispered, "You belong to me, darling. So start acting the part."

His lips came back down on hers, and Rey let him kiss her like they had when they were first dating, when she thought he was decent, and Stephen pulled away for a moment to murmur, "That's better, dear," before he trailed hot kisses over her cheek to her shoulder. As he reached the spot her neck met her shoulder, his hand clasped over her mouth once more as he bit down hard on her skin, sucking hard to leave a darkening mark before pulling away.

"I hope he sees my little lovemark I've left on you, pet. I'll see you in the morning, love. Rest well."

Stephen made his way to the door, not looking back as he turned the handle and opened the door, his eyes meeting Clyde’s as he stepped into the hall. “Thanks mate,” he said, putting on his typical cocky grin as he stepped in front of Clyde. “I needed a few minutes to get reacquainted with my fiance, you know. It’s madness, having the family about. No alone time.” Stephen reached up and smacked Clyde’s shoulder. “Thanks for working so diligently to keep my future wife safe. Have a good night, mate.”

Clyde watched as Stephen walked down the stairs, huffing out a few breaths and clenching and unclenching his fists several times. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of a window opening from inside Rey’s room that he ran to the door, opening it to find her shimmying down the column from her balcony to the ground, sprinting across the yard towards the boat dock as soon as her feet hit the ground.

His lady needed him, which spurred Clyde to close the door behind him, using the same method to exit the house as Rey had. He activated his earpiece, grunting slightly as he ran across the expansive yard towards the boat dock. “Slugger, we got a small situation. Daisy is on the move toward the boat dock after speaking with the attachment. I am following and will let you know when I have the package in sight and safe once more.”

“Copy that, Miner.” Earl’s voice sounded gruff as he responded, and Clyde knew his boss had probably asleep in his bunk.

Clyde found Rey, curled up into a ball on the small bunk on the boat, sobbing like her heart had been torn to pieces.

“Rey, darlin’... talk to me.” Clyde settled onto the bed beside her, his heart racing and his hand shaking with restrained rage as he reached out to touch her face softly.

“He… he threatened me. He… he’s going to have you sacked. He… he touched me. He  _ kissed _ me and I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to kiss him, but I did because he threatened you, and I feel so guilty and mad and  _ trapped _ .”

“Shhh, darlin’, I ain’t goin’ nowhere. He ain’t got no say in that. I do my job and do it well. C’mere…” Clyde reached out and pulled Rey into his arms, settling her into his lap and kissing the top of her head softly.

“He… he touched me, Clyde, and I let him because I was so scared… please don’t be mad. I feel dirty, like I  _ betrayed _ you, because I am yours. I am so yours. He has no claim to me.” Rey snuggled into Clyde’s arms, clinging to the fabric of his shirt with both hands fisted into the fabric. She felt a sense of rightness wash over her from simply being in his arms once more.

Clyde let a low growl rumble from his throat. “I’m gonna kill that sonuvabitch.” He caught Rey’s face in his hands, his thumbs tracing away her tears as he looked into her watery eyes. “Ya listen ta me, darlin’...” His words trailed off as he caught sight of the dark purple mark on her neck, the teeth marks a dark red in the center of the mark. Clyde took in a deep breath, his hands trembling against her face as he said quietly, “He put that mark on ya against yer will?”

Rey nodded, watching as his eyes went cold with anger. Her man was angry, and Rey knew if he got anywhere near Stephen before they all left in the morning, there would be blood. “Clyde… p-please. I need you. W-we need to figure out how to do this. I am not marrying him… I am your lady, we both know this.”

Clyde’s earpiece crackled, Earl’s voice coming through to him. “Miner, check in.”

“I have the package, Slugger. She needs some time to herself. Her and the attachment had a fight. I am with her.”

“Affirmative. Will let the team know in case someone goes looking for her.”

Rey’s hands came up to cup his face now, and Clyde sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. “I know ya wanna be with me, darlin’. I just dunno how we’re gonna make it work, especially when ya gotta go back home in a few months. Ya know we ain’t gonna have no time together then, and  _ he _ is gonna be attached to ya like glue.”

“We’ll find a way. Maybe I can stay here for winter break, claim I have a work study or volunteer work to do. I’ll find a way. I love you, and I am not letting this break us apart now. Not after we found each other.” Rey slipped the ring off her finger and tossed it, listening as it landed somewhere in the cabin with a metallic  _ ting _ . Her lips met Clyde’s, and he told himself she was right. They would find a way to make it work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEE! Heathyr made our moodboard for this chapter and I'm telling you it is spot on! Soooo much happens in this chapter and it is just right for it! <3 <3 Great Job and Thank You!!

[ ](https://ibb.co/QpxHZZc)

Overnight stars had faded behind a thin layer of clouds, all of which Rey did her best to still see. Sure, pilots had navigational systems that could guide them high above the clouds, and even through them during some types of storms, but Rey still stared nonetheless. Time stood still and moved all at once. Panic would fill and flush through her mind as the clouds thickened, dropping a sprinkle here and there. She’d begged the sky not to... nearly screaming her concern over the very chance rain would fall, keeping her family and that monster there another minute.

Darkened spots on the balcony dried sooner than the next could fall. Somewhere inside of her, a little voice promised her it was a sign. Rey tilted her gaze back to the sky, staring again once more until she could hear, not see, car doors opening and closing. The start of multiple engines, light chatter, her brother whining about it not being a morning flight. Rey smiled at that. The boy clearly didn’t believe it was unless the sun was up. He truly was quite the mess back in England, but that's besides the point.

Rey heard the front door’s heavy thud, then counted as all four of the black limousines drove off down the long driveway. Rey counted backwards from ten, hoping no one would turn around before running to unlock her door. No sooner did she, did she notice Clyde had done the same. The carpet underfoot felt new, softer than it had in recent days, the air around her was breathable, her eyes wet with joyful tears the moment she’d taken a step forward, her feet carrying her far faster than she’d gone before. Rey leapt into her man’s arms, whimpering into his ear, “We’re free, Clyde... we’re free.”

Rey loved the way his strong arms carried her from the hall to his room. He hadn’t asked. He simply glowered at what was her room and promised she could stay where he was.

“I’d like that,” she said, pressing soft kisses onto his jaw before they made it to the side of his bed.

Clyde pressed a knee into the mattress, still cradling her against him. She felt precious to him like this, her face snuggled into the crook of his neck. There she could find comfort, peace, and despite her absolute need, she soon found sleep.

. . .

Sunrise came too soon, burning through lingering fog that had settled over the ground, much like the shape she took, comfortably molded against Clyde’s chest. He’s so warm and welcoming, and Rey can’t help but feel the need to press her cheek a little further into his skin. Her exhaustion lingers so much, so that opening her eyes is a battle, but the constant feel of her man next to her pries them open. He’s nearly motionless, all except for the rise and fall of his chest, the light snoring blowing his lips apart ever so slightly calling her to look at him.

When she does she first sees the wide expanse of his bare chest under her fingertips, the only thing separating her from him is the thin fabric of her nightgown. It looks nearly translucent, and she wonders if it’s her foggy mind, or if it truly was a little on the lighter side. Was it why he’d been so shy every other time she’d found him in the night? Had she noticed any other time, with any other person, she’s sure she’d have flushed a new shade of red that would forever be named after her, but not with Clyde. Instead she studied the way it moved along with him, the way it floated over his skin, guided by her very breath.

Rey lifted her chin to face his. She took in his features from this angle, as if she’d just met him that morning. What a thought that would be, only meeting him today. She supposed people did those sorts of things, but it wasn’t for her. Rey had never been fast with anyone, and it showed. Thankfully such a thing occurred with Stephen, which could potentially be his major malfunction. Everyone seemed to give into his every whim but her. That’s not true though, really, if she thought about it. She gave in this week, since they arrived. When had she started doing that? Had it been going on all along?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized giving in was something she knew all too well. Rey laid low her whole life… meeting Stephen had to have been her family’s way to get her out more, become that adventurous spirit they lost all that time ago, and yet, no one was listening now. No one except for Clyde. Not even her mother stood by to keep her safe in such a way mothers should, she thought at least. And all the while Stephen lurked, expecting to be given into, just as she had for her father, mother, every politician she’d come in contact with, giving all of her to them without a sliver of back talk.

When it came to Stephen, she felt as though there was something missing. A disconnect. A power struggle, something… there was more to their meeting, something he was hiding, and while she didn’t know what that was, it made her uncomfortable enough not to try. Their relationship dragged on, never exactly making it to the bedroom. Instead, she found every way to avoid true intimacy with him. The night before had been the closest she’d come to him bedding her against her will, no less. Allowing him to make that mark burned her inside and out. He wasn’t hers, she wasn’t his, and still he took, and still she allowed it.

  
Rey blinked back tears of rage, the pain in her man’s eyes had been enough that night. She couldn’t let it happen again. It wouldn’t. She could have a say, she could… she could…

In the time that it took to race through her thoughts, she’d noticed that she’d sat up in his bed with him, the fluffy down feather blanket curling around them like fluffy clouds, exposing their skin to each other, had he been awake, that is. Like her, she believed that Clyde had been awake, ever vigilant, listening for every change, waiting to be reunited with her. Because of it, he deserved to sleep. He deserved to be taken care of. The glorious thought of him covering her before the dance had been so securing. His large frame crowding hers, the way his hips rocked against her channel made her want to cry out in ecstasy just remembering it.

Her hand still firmly planted on his side anchored her while she maneuvered her right knee to the side of his hips to mimic his position. A top him, she was able to study his face, the kind man she knew lay asleep, free from the stress of protecting his girl from Stephen and his mistress. Clyde’s hair had fallen around his face in a halo of sorts, exposing a part of him she’d never seen, not even once, his ears. The moment she’d seen them her fingers ached to touch them, to free them from the confines of his luscious locks, but when she’d gone to lift her hand from his side, he stirred. His stiffened member just below her called for Rey’s attention. How would she touch him from up here?

Before another thought rushed through her mind, Clyde’s hands found her bare thighs, just under her nightgown. If they were any hotter, she would have thought there were hot coals touching her skin. Rey settled herself down onto his lap softly, parting her center along his morning wood. She at least knew what that was, not daring to think that he woke up aroused by the sight of her over top of him.

“Rey,” he rasped, swallowing a few times before trying her name again. “Mornin’ darlin’.”

“Mornin’,” she smiled brightly. Rey leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss, her sensitive nub sliding against him now and eliciting a low moan from deep in her throat.

Clyde’s hands steadied her, pressing her firmly against him. The sweetest sound grumbled out of him too, needy…desperate, whatever it was, Rey wasn’t sure, but found she needed to hear it again, all the time… for the rest of her life. A flick of his wrists, both at the same time, had him reaching his long fingers towards her firm bottom, rucking up her nightgown as he went. Her only indication to this is how cool the air around her legs began to feel, followed by the way the lacy fringe of her nightgown fluttered around them. Clyde moved her up his length to his very tip while she stroked her tongue against hers, stopping only to cry out when the top of his thick head caught in her covered opening.

Rey hissed and sat up slowly, her eyes locked on his while she chased that feeling.

Clyde’s hands moved fractionally up the sides of her body, begging to see her, but the pace he’d set to grind against her was his to chase, so she’d reached down to plant a hand on his hard stomach. He clenched his teeth together, doing his very best to keep her steady while jolts of pleasure coursed through him. His eyes focused on her, struck in awe as her form had been swallowed by the garment only to be revealed to him in the flesh. She’d seen desire in many men, but nothing like the kind that stained his cheeks or stole his breath.

Rey was sure she’d died and gone to heaven with her man under her, looking at her as if she’d hung the stars in the sky. He’d stilled all forward motion, frustrating her enough to ask what was the matter.

“Ya,” he gasped.

“Me?” Rey swallowed, unsure of what he meant. “I’m the matter?”

“No! No, sweetheart. How could ya be thinkin’ like that? Ya, Rey,” he says, shaking his head from side to side, “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Clyde swallowed hard, attempting to sit up, his length straining against the tight fabric of his boxer briefs making him seem thicker to her. Rey blushed at that, watching while he ducked his head as low as he could to start trailing kisses up her stomach between her breasts, letting out another low moan as she rocked against him once more.

“Please, darlin’... please may I touch ya,” he begged.

Rey’s never once felt so needed for her own pleasure, and wondered if it could be as great a feeling as stroking him between her sopping wet folds. At least there she felt as though she was giving them both what they wanted in a way, but her curiosity won over, nodding frantically before adding, “I’m yours, ah!” she cried feeling her body spasm around his. “You don’t have to ask. Take, please, Clyde. Take what you need from me. Take it all, I’m yours.”

She was panting now in anticipation. His hands slowed her pace to a crawl, finally stopping her altogether. His eyes pinned her in place, his jaw dropped open while the flat of his tongue darted out to cradle her nipple just above it. She knew he’d been soft with her, dare she say too soft, but deep down she loved the way he worshiped her body.

That’s what it was. Clyde Logan was worshiping her. It was all in the weight of his stare, the way his moistened lips clamped over her breast, how he lapped over her and suckled at her nipple. Rey loved the way his facial hair moved across her skin too. It had been the right amount of gruff versus the viscous feel of his tongue lapping over her soft skin there.

She found that she no longer had control over what she did or said, her fingers plunging into his hair, holding him close to her chest while she attempted to ride out her impending release. She’d babbled gods knows what, promising she’d always love him.  
Tears began to prick the corners of her eyes when she told him she loved him. She’d said it before and meant it too, but here during such an intimate activity, Rey couldn’t help herself. Even her lover picked up on this slowing again to ask her if this was all too much.

“No, no Clyde, it’s not. It’s just right,” she shook her head, her hair falling over Stephen’s mark on her neck that screamed, “kill the man” in his face. “Everything you do is just right. It’s all right—everything,” she repeated. “Not like the monster who left this. You... you’re my whole world. Nothing could ever come between us,” she smiled knowingly at his bulge... “except maybe cotton...”

His smile is telling. There’d been so much raw emotion swirling within those chocolate brown eyes, she found watching him unfold to be her favorite part of this morning. He’d opened his hold on her, his huge arm snaking up her spine to reach the column of her neck while the other found its way into her panties, cupping her sex. Clyde had moved from her breast to that horrid mark to run his tongue over it.

“I hate him for this, darlin’,” she whines at his admission, drenching the fingers he parts her with. “Use your voice, baby girl. Ya don’t have ta go quietly.”

Clyde watched intently, his own jaw going slack with hers as he pushed one thick digit up into her. Rey’s body shook slightly as she swallowed him into her, rocking as she went, needing desperately to feel that sweet friction once more.

“Oh, Clyde,” she moaned, her sigh elongated his name.

“I want to hear ya, Rey. Scream for me an I’ll always come runnin’,” he pushed another finger deep within her, curling them just so in tandem with how she’d been riding his palm, until she finally let go.

Rey screamed his name, throwing her head back, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, down her bare back while her body quivered through her release. Clyde gently rocked his hand against her, studying every last shockwave until she collapsed onto his chest, howling her love for him on her way down.

Rey revels in the feel of his perspiration covering his chest, nuzzling against him as lovers do. She hadn’t forgotten about his tremendous erection no doubt being cradled between her slick folds, soaking them from her current release, but she’d never felt anything quite as exquisite done by another’s hand. Rey simply needed time - but it hadn’t been on their side.

“Sweetheart,” Clyde tried to tell her of the time, and it had him grinning from ear to ear when she’d protest, telling him she didn’t wanna go.

“Please let me skip,” she’d whine, as if Clyde controlled where she went, his erection still awake and pressing against her body.  
A single sharp knock on the door had the two of them on edge. Rose’s voice called out from behind it, informing her that her partner called and said she lost half of their presentation.

“All the more reason not to go,” she whispered against his ear.

Rose kept reporting on what she said, and then stopped to answer the girl.

“We have all day, darlin’,” Clyde kissed her long and slow, awakening her once again. “Answer her an’ maybe we’ll go fishin’ again this afternoon.”

Rey bit down on her bottom lip, excited for his plan. She nodded, but returned to kissing him, finding no resolve in getting up. The girl could get on without her, she thought. She’d deepened the kiss, making him moan for her. Again, she thought, but the second he did, he had her upright, pulled against him, standing at his full height. Rey squealed at the sure power of her man, then locked her legs around him as he strode into his bathroom with her. He’d slid her down his body, catching against her entrance and making him hiss in response.

Her hand gripped his bulge, her voice small but firm, and asked if this was alright.

“I want this bad, darlin’. So bad, but you’ve used your sick days already, don’t think I dunno. Can’t be havin’ yer grades drop on a counta gettin’ me off,” he smiled tightly, trying his hardest not to hate being parted from her.

“Promise I can take care of you after school,” she asked boldly.

“After class, sweetheart. All night long,” he answered.

. . .

Getting ready had been a challenge, and Rey knew challenges, her life was one, after all. She’d showered in record time just to see his face again. She’d toweled off and wrapped herself up in it, remembering her clothes were across the hall... in her room... one she didn’t have time to instruct him in what to find, and certainly didn’t want to face alone. Stephen’s evil left over presence had haunted her through the night in that room, waiting for him and Bazine to leave.

She heard Clyde gasp, as if he hadn’t just seen her nearly nude to him before. Her man had gotten dressed, dark wash jeans, a black cotton tee, and a heather grey sweater, the one he’d worn at the game, had been what he went with today. All that was left bare to her were his feet, and still her eyes raked down his body.

“Um,” she cleared her throat, trying to remember what she needed. “Can you, I’m sorry I have to ask, but my clothes are in my room, you see, and I’m scared to return to it.”

Clyde moved around his bed, promising he’d check and stay with her until she’d feel safe on her own, just as he always had. This time, though, she’d asked him to stay while she changed, which she couldn’t help but love him more for staying. Rey felt his eyes travel over her form as she changed, finding a burgundy matching bra and panty set that matched her temptress’ spirit. They could stay... she told herself while she dressed.

Clyde’s breath hitched when she removed her towel, catching a glimpse of her before scanning the room, trying desperately hard to keep her safe here. She’d sat at the corner of her bed pulling on her nude stockings, followed by a deep red, long sleeve sweater dress that bared his mark.

Clyde clenched his fists when he’d seen it, but Rey covered it first with concealer, lightening its tone, and then with a silk scarf that matched well with her outfit, layering Clyde with a comfort in knowing she’d erase Stephen from her life.

Rey rushed around after that gathering her things, shoes, her jacket, purse, and phone Rose left on the table before heading out with Clyde. They’d stopped for breakfast, hitting the morning rush, before moving along to class. Unlike any other day they wait together on a bench right outside of the lecture hall, waiting for the doors to open to them. It had given the pair time to eat together. Clyde couldn’t pass up the opportunity to taste her again, his eyes darkening as she stopped to pull the excess bacon, egg and cheese hanging from her breakfast bagel to pop it into her mouth.

Rey, though, noticed how he changed, his want written all over his face making her stop. His eyes trained on the morsel in her hand simply because it had been on his skin. She could have been holding anything, and he’d of licked her fingers clean.

“Do you want it?” she asked, a little too breathlessly. He’d nodded, and she wasn’t sure if he’d still been interested in food - or if she became his sustenance. Rey shivered, her lips parted when he took her breakfast into his mouth, licking at her fingertips. She was sure it had been his way of admitting they should have stayed in, and she agrees.

They were truly seconds from running home to ravish the other when her classmate caught up with them and the hall’s doors opened to them, flushing out the class before them.

Her partner seems just too freaked out to notice what’s building in front of her eyes.

“I lost all of it,” the girl complained over and over again.

“Later,” Clyde mouthed.

“Now?” Rey returned, a grin widening on her face at his response. She knew he’d been struggling with himself all morning, and now her man looked like he was a breath away from taking her publicly on that very bench.

“C’mon, maybe if you talk to him,” the girl suggested, “maybe we can go next week.”

With that, the woman had her standing and proceeding inside to her seat. She spent the introduction of class focusing on how badly she wanted to watch Clyde come undone. She wanted time to learn him, to drive him mad with need... not that he wasn’t already there, but she’d give anything to be pushed up against the wall again. She wanted what he needed, her thighs pressed together trying to stave off her impending desire.

Her phone buzzed several times, irritating her professor in the process. It only took a look from him to silence her phone. And yet the thing didn’t stop. It vibrated and rung louder and louder, causing a scene before starting over again. The images that came through started sweet, making Rey think they were just from her friends over the semester so far. Simple ones of Rey being close with Clyde, to a few with his hands around her waist, but soon they had become more intimate. Videos of the times they’d snuck off together had come into view, coupled with breathy moans from a pair that didn’t match their own getting louder still. Rey tried to turn off her phone and search for the culprit, as if they were in the room with her, but no one turned away. Instead, everyone looked on, trying to catch a glimpse of what Rey had on her phone.

She finds herself scrambling to get her bag together, shooting out of her seat, startling the class - and Clyde - who stood along with her waiting at the top of the stairs. Her feet crashed heavily down onto the floor trying to race out of the room, pulling Clyde out the door with her.

Her phone grumbles a threat as the video of their coupling played back on the screen. Her mark in the crook of her neck on display while Clyde works her through her orgasm on the screen had her panicking, not for their relationship, but for the very fact that they’d been watched while alone in their own home.

“You say you could never love a monster,” the mechanical tone grumbled out. The video now playing a series of explosions, war, with injured people all over. “What happens when the monster is you,” the man - or monster - growled.  
….  
Rey stood at the large window, shivering as she peered out at the snow which had started falling last night. They had arrived at the cabin the day before, and Clyde had assured her that they would be safe here while Earl investigated the threat that had been made against her.

“Hey, darlin’,” Clyde said as he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, thrusting a warm mug of tea into her hands. “Ya look cold, standin’ there. Earl checked in earlier, nothin’ new, and yer family and friends are all safe.”

He nuzzled at her neck, putting his arms around her, and Rey melted back against his chest. She was safe here with Clyde, safe and alone, where no one else could interfere with them. While she was scared for herself, her family and her friends - she was glad she had her man to herself for however long it took his boss to investigate the threat.

As Rey leaned back into his arms, Clyde sighed contentedly, resting his chin on the top of her head as he peered out the window of the hunting cabin that had now belonged to three generations of the Logan family. He and Jimmy had spent many weekends up here when they were younger, drinking and fishing in the small lake adjacent to the property.

He had woken this morning - for the second morning in a row - with his lady in his arms, her perfect body molded against his as she planted feather light kisses on his face and neck to let him know she was awake. Clyde had never been one to wake without a growl that his slumber had to end, and Rey had giggled at the sound, her lips coming to his to remind him that being awake meant he got to spend time with her.

She was worried, and he was saddened that she had to feel anything but joy in her heart. The threat had been a worrisome one for him, as well, because it meant there was a recording device somewhere within his own room in Ithaca. Either that, or there was someone with a very nice recording device looking in from a surrounding building - but Clyde trusted that Earl would come to the bottom of everything.

No one was getting near his lady without going through him. He planned on spoiling her while they were confined to the cabin, in the hopes that it would ease her worried mind some.

“I’ve always loved watching the snow fall,” Rey mused as she looked out the window, sipping at the warm tea. Clyde knew how to make it perfectly to her liking, which amazed her. Her man seemed to just know her, and he sometimes did things without her even saying a word - like he instinctively knew what she needed before she even did.

“It’s pretty n all, but I think yer still the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on, darlin’,” Clyde mused, kissing the top of her head gently. He tightened his arms around her slightly, and Rey sighed again.

“Isn’t it a bit early for snow, though?” she mused, turning slightly so she could look into his eyes.

“Well, we are up in the mountains, ya see. Mother Nature kinda decides to throw everyone up here for a loop. I mean, it’s gettin’ pretnear huntin’ season, so she just up and decided to throw a snow storm into the mix n all. Can’t say it’s a bad thing thing, entirely. I mean, I get to keep ya warm n all.” Clyde smiled down at her, and Rey shook her head softly in return, offering him a small smile of her own. He could feel some of the stress of the past day and a half easing from her body with each passing moment.

Rey finished her tea, and Clyde took the mug from her, moving back towards the small kitchen. Rey’s eyes followed him as he moved through the cabin, admiring the shape of his muscles, and the way his hair framed his face. She wasn’t quite sure how she was so lucky in capturing his attention, but she was glad she had him.

He would keep her safe. He would make sure nothing happened to her, and they would find a way to be together in the end. She was sure of it.

After rinsing out the mug, Clyde came back to Rey’s side, glancing out at the falling snow again. “I’m thinkin’ that some cuddlin’ on the couch is in order here, what do ya think, darlin’? Ain’t much else to do up here with it snowin’ the way it is. I think we still got some movies n all, since Jimmy and Sylvie bring Sadiebug up here durin’ the summer and whatnot.”

“That sounds lovely. You know I just like being in your arms, don’t you?” Rey turned so she could look into his eyes, and Clyde grinned at her before responding.

“I do seem ta recall ya sayin’ somethin’ like that.” Without giving her any warning, Clyde scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the sofa, where he set her gently down before settling next to her. Reaching over, Clyde tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “Ya sure are beautiful, darlin’. I can’t quite believe that ya love me like ya do.”

Rey looked at him from lowered lashes, plucking at a string on the blanket he had wrapped around her. Memories from the day before, when he had used his hand to make sure she was taken care of before class, were swirling through her mind as she said in a small, nervous voice, “Clyde? I, um… I’ve been thinking about… about yesterday morning.”

Clyde looked at his lady, sensing her nervousness. He reached over, twining his fingers through hers, his gaze meeting hers. “Yeah? Me too, darlin’. Wasn’t sure what ta expect, wakin’ up ta ya this mornin’ with everythin’ that happened yesterday. I didn’t want ta overstep no boundaries or nothin’.”

His heart ached for Rey, knowing that she was so worried about her friends back in Ithaca, and her family in London. Luckily, he still had a way for her to access her school email and website using his secure phone - a phone that couldn’t be tracked, so she had been able to email her professors to let them know what had happened.

“I… I want more. With you. I mean, we have time, right? I just… you… you want that, too, right? We never really talked about it.” Rey’s face colored as she spoke.

Clyde squeezed her hand gently, smiling at her. “Darlin’, there ain’t nothin’ in the world I want more than to make ya mine in every way possible. With everythin’ happenin’ as fast as it did, I didn’t want ya makin’ any rash decisions regardin’ somethin’ like that. I know ya got alot goin’ on inside yer head.”

Rey nodded, thankful that her man knew her so well. She did have a lot going on in her head, but after Clyde’s reassurances that her family and friends were safe, she wanted to forget for a while, and lose herself in the wonderful man she had fallen so deeply in love with.

Moving off the couch for a moment, Rey moved so that she was straddling Clyde, her lips meeting his as her arms went around his neck. He looked delicious in the tight fitting black tee and blue jeans he was wearing - he always looked delicious to her, though. Her tongue skimmed over the seam of his lips, asking for and being granted entrance. They let their tongues explore each others mouths for a long time, Rey plunging her hands deep into Clyde’s hair. She could feel his arousal against her, and she pulled away for a moment to give him a smile before leaning in and pushing his hair aside so she could nibble at his earlobe for a moment before whispering, “Take me to bed, Clyde. Please.”

“As you wish,” Clyde murmured, his lips back against hers as he stood, his hands cupping her perfectly shaped ass as he carried her towards the larger of the two bedrooms. He laid her down gently on the bed, covering her body with his as he trailed kisses from her lips to her neck. “Darlin’, are ya sure ‘bout this? I don’t ever wanna do anythin’ ya don’t want,” Clyde asked, pulling away from her to gaze into her eyes.

“I...I want this,” Rey murmured, looking into his warm whiskey eyes, which were glittering with desire for her. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. I just… I’ve never been with a man before. Stephen had tried to, you know, but I never let him get anywhere. Maybe I knew I’d find you, somehow. I… I should tell you that I, um…” Her face colored slightly as she bit her bottom lip, and Clyde wanted to let out a low growl at how entirely sexy she looked doing it. “I’m on birth control,” Rey finally said.

With that, Clyde did let a low growl escape him, bringing his lips crashing down on hers once more. His hands moved under the thin fabric of her sleeping attire, skimming over the soft skin until he was cupping one breast in his hand. Letting out a low groan, he pulled his lips away long enough to say, “Ya feel so good, yer perfect, Rey.”

Clyde was completely thrilled at the fact he would be her first - that she had chosen him to be her first. He’d gladly be this woman’s only lover, if she’d let him, as well. The depths of the love he felt for her was limitless, and he truly believed that they could make this work and be together the rest of their lives. He knew what his brother would tell him - She’s too young, Clyde. She’s got her whole life ahead of her. What’d she want a man ten years older for? - but Clyde knew Rey better. Their ages didn’t matter, only their true, pure feelings for the other.

Gripping the fabric with his fingers, Clyde slid it upwards and over rey’s head, tossing it to the floor as he set quickly to work, devouring every inch of skin that he could with his lips. He pulled a plump, pebbled nipple into his mouth, his tongue laving at it as his other hand cupped her other breast, capturing the peak between his thumb and forefinger and rolling it between them gently.

Rey could only moan at the feeling of his warm, full lips on her breast, her hands diving into his hair as she let the feeling of being completely cared for in every way wash over her. She should be worried about giving herself to a man before she was married. That was what she had always been taught, after all. But, the man her parents wanted her to marry was a monster, and the thought of letting his mouth on her again - or his hands - sickened her. Stephen could never touch her the way Clyde currently was, could never make her feel the red hot electric streaks of desire she was currently feeling.

Clyde’s lips glided across her skin, taking the other nipple between his lips now, letting his teeth graze gently over the taut flesh. Rey fisted his hair, letting her head fall back as a low moan left her lips.

“That feels so good…” she said, and Clyde paused in his ministrations to smile up at her. “Oh, darlin’, it only gets better, I promise ya.” Delving back onto her skin with reckless abandon, Clyde set to work once more, kissing and nibbling at her skin until she was a mess of moans and breathy whispers, her hands fisting in his silky tresses.

Kissing down her stomach, he let his fingers curl around the waistband of the panties she had been wearing under her nightshirt, looking up at her once more to make sure she was ready for him to attend to her needs underneath the fabric. She gave him permission with a breathily whispered, “Yes, please,” and once she had given him permission, he moved lower, mouthing at the wet spot at the apex of her thighs through the fabric, suckling at her skin through the barrier between them.

Rey threw her head back against the pillow once more at the feel of Clyde’s mouth on her. Even with the thin fabric separating his lips from her slick core and swollen clit, the feel of him there was delightful, sending frissons of pleasure skirting along her synapses.

Clyde pulled down on the fabric, sliding the panties down as he took in the sight of his lady lying bare and exposed underneath him. His breath caught in his throat before he looked into Rey’s eyes, all the built up longing and love he had showing in their chocolate depths. “Yer exquisite, darlin’. A dream come true.”

Rey felt a shiver course through her as Clyde set back to work, planting tiny kisses to each inner thigh, his warm breath ghosting over her already slick and heated folds. Finally, he let a thick finger trail between her folds, and he let out a low, lustful growl before speaking again. “Yer everythin’ to me, darlin. i wanna spend the rest of my life pleasin’ ya.”

His finger trailed down to her slick opening, and as his lips closed around her clit, his tongue lapping gently at the swollen nub, he gently pushed inside her, knowing that he would need to ready her first before he even attempted to make love to her. He could feel her stretching around his finger, her walls slick and tight as they pulled against the intrusion. His tongue moved from her clit to lick up between her folds, her sweet, musky essence coating his tongue and lips. She smelled as divine as she tasted, and after a few moments of working her with one finger, Clyde added a second, giving her body a moment to adjust to the new addition.

The sounds she was making, and the feel of her hands in his hair, tugging gently as she breathed out his name over and over had him hard enough to make it uncomfortable, and so Clyde slid away from her for a moment, giving her a smile as she looked at him with lust filled eyes. “I need ta get these clothes off, darlin’. Ya can help if ya want, up ta you.”

Rey shook her head, licking her lips before saying in a low tone, “I’d rather watch you. You’re incredible, and I want to see all of you.”

Clyde gave her a smile as he reached down, pulling his tee shirt off in one motion. Rey’s eyes drifted over his bare torso, knowing all too well how gloriously muscled he was, and as he kicked off his boots and started to unbutton and unzip his pants, she licked her lips at the sight of the patch of hair on his abs, forming a ‘v’ that led down into his jeans. As he pulled both his pants and briefs off, letting his thick cock spring to life, Rey felt her mouth go dry, breathless in the realization that this incredible man - who was kind, caring and intelligent, and also built like a Greek God - loved her.

Clyde slid back onto the bed, covering her body with his once more as his lips met hers again. She could taste herself on him, and she found it drove her desire for him up even more - which she hadn’t been sure was even possible.

“Ya still okay with everythin’?” Clyde asked when he pulled away from her lips. Rey’s hands had been happily exploring his bare skin, dancing lightly over his muscled chest and back, finally stopping on both hips as he pulled away to speak.

“Yes… yes I am more than okay with this, Clyde. God, you’re incredible… the way you make me feel.” Rey moved her hands around his hips to the rounded globes of his ass, letting her nails dig in slightly, his eyes darkening as she did so.

With that, he slid back down her body, lodging himself between her legs and once more setting to work readying her. He sunk a finger back inside her as he worked his tongue through her moist folds, up to the swollen nub of her clit. Drawing it between his lips and teeth, Clyde sucked at it with wild abandon, adding a second finger inside her as he set to work pumping slowly in and out of her.

“Oh God,” Rey whispered, tugging at Clyde’s hair as the desire that had been pooling in her stomach unfurled, sending tendrils of honeyed electricity through her veins and nerve endings. She needed more from him - more pressure, on her clit, inside her - Rey wasn’t sure where, she just knew she needed more.

Rey rolled her hips slightly, moaning with the sweet pressure it provided for her. “Yes, oh yes…” she moaned as Clyde’s tongue worked her in tandem with his fingers, the dam that had been holding back her climax finally bursting as she cried out his name, her hips rolling as he worked her through wave after wave of her climax with his mouth and fingers.

When she was through, a whimpering, quivering mess, his body was covering hers gently again, his lips back on hers briefly before he nipped at her earlobe, whispering to her how much he loved her and how beautiful she was before asking, “Are you still sure ya wanna do this, Rey? I need ya to tell me ya are.”

“I do, I love you. I want you. Only you, Clyde.”

Clyde brought his lips to hers again, knowing how special it was for Rey to give herself to him like this, after everything she had been through. He wanted it to be perfect, and so he kept his lips on hers, letting her hands explore him as they kissed. As one of her hands found his length and her fingers slid around it, Clyde let out a low moan in her mouth, his cock jerking at the fell of her skin on it.

Rey whispered against his lips, “I love you, every part of you. I want to touch all of you… feel all of you.” Her hand stroked him from tip to base, coating his length with precum as she nibbled on his jawline. “I’ll only ever want you, for the rest of my life. I know it.” Her hand kept stroking him, and it grew harder for him to resist rutting into her hand until he came, so instead he pulled away slightly, kissing her before remarking, “Sweetheart, ya keep doin’ that and I ain’t gonna last but a minute inside ya. Yer hand is perfect, strokin’ me like that… but I want ta be inside ya so bad.”

“Oh, Clyde, I want that too, please…” Rey had been reduced to pure wanton need by now, and she shuddered when she felt Clyde’s hand curl around hers on his length, guiding it to her entrance as he looked down at her again, his lips meeting hers as he pushed gently into her, his forehead resting against hers as he gave her body a few moments to adjust to his girth inside her. She shivered underneath him, and Clyde captured her lips with his, pulling away to look at her before moving inside her again.

When she gave him a small nod, he moved again, sinking further inside her, her walls closing in like silk around him. He waited another few moments, his tongue dancing against hers before moving once more, and then he was sheathed all the way inside her, and he stilled, his gaze meeting hers to gauge her reaction.

Rey couldn’t believe how good it felt to have her man joined with her so completely. It was almost something cosmic, like the stars aligning just right, some once in a lifetime event that she would never get to feel again. She had never been this close to one person before, never felt so utterly bare and exposed. “I love you,” Rey whispered against his lips. “You feel so good inside me like this.”

“Oh, Rey, yer so perfect,” Clyde murmured before capturing her lips with his as he started to move inside her. He set a slow pace, not wanting to be too rough on her, but the way her delicate folds pulled against the taut skin of his cock had him reeling to control himself. He wanted to make this special for her, make her feel good and cherished.

It was the least he could do for the woman who had captured him completely the moment he met her.

Her hips rolled up to meet his, driving him deeper into her, and Clyde groaned, the desire he had been fighting to keep at bay since the moment she told him to take her to bed finally able to take seat in his gut, and as Rey moved in time with him, her fingernails digging into the skin on his back, it spurred him to pick up the pace a little. His lady was clearly enjoying the feeling he was giving her, as she moaned his name, along with telling him just how good he was making her feel.

“Rey,” Clyde whispered against the skin of her neck as he resisted the urge to put her legs up on his shoulder to thoroughly rut inside her like he wanted to, “I… I ain’t gonna last much longer. Are ya close?”

Rey watched as her man’s eyes glittered with passion for her. She knew he was trying to keep his own pleasure at bay so they could reach that peak together - but he had already taken care of her - and Rey knew they would have many more times to come together. She wanted to watch him come apart inside her.

“I want to watch you come inside me. I want to watch your face. Come for me, baby… we’ll have a lot more times to come together… and you’ve done so much for me already…” Rey rolled her hips up to meet his, digging her nails into his back again as he let out a low growl, his hips snapping against hers one last time as he buried his length in her, his spend coating her as he came hard, his body shuddering and her name leaving his lips in a low, reverant whisper again and again.

After a few long moments of riding the wave of his orgasm, Clyde pulled out of her, rolling to one side and getting out of bed for a moment before returning with a warm washcloth to tend to the mess he had made of his lady. While it gave him a primal sense of joy to see his come dripping out of her, he wanted to make her feel good in every way as they lie together in the heady afterglow of their lovemaking. Once he had taken care of them both, he left for another moment to toss the washcloth into the laundry basket before returning to their bed, taking in the sight of his very sleepy and thoroughly sated girlfriend splayed out across the mattress. Sliding into bed beside her, Clyde pulled her into his arms, sighing contentedly at how right it felt to hold her.

“Ya okay, beautiful?” He asked quietly, kissing the top of her head.

“Mmm, never been better,” Rey almost purred, her head resting against his chest. “Love you,” she murmured sleepily, and Clyde kissed the top of her head again as he replied gently.

“Love you, too, darlin’.”

….

The snow continued to fall as they slept in post coital bliss, and when they woke later that afternoon, there was half a foot of snow to greet them outside the cabin windows. Rey stood to the side of the large bay window, wrapped in one of the thick comforters off their bed, Clyde standing behind her with his arms around her and his chin on his shoulder as they watched it snow. He was still completely naked, and Rey was convinced that he could probably walk outside in the snow in his current state and not be fazed.

Her man was an oven. Even now, she could feel the heat from his body seeping into hers from behind her.

“Ya hungry?” his low dulcet timbre sent a delicious shiver through her, and she turned in his arms to face him, her lips meeting his.

“Yes - but not for food,” Rey answered, letting her hand drift down to where his length was rapidly thickening with her touch.

“I’ve created a monster, haven’t I?” Clyde chuckled before picking her up and carrying her back to their bed.

Rey giggled as he did, “Apparently so.”

….

After they finished making love this time, Rey burrowed into his arms, humming in happiness. She was thoroughly sated and completely, utterly in love with the man holding her, and even though there was a threat looming over her head, she was happy in the little bubble they had created here. Rey turned in his arms to face him, smiling at the rumpled hair currently sticking out all over his head. “You look like a man who has just spent the whole day having sex with his girlfriend,” she quipped, leaning in and kissing the tip of his nose playfully.

“Nah, I look like a man who’s been takin’ care of the love a his life, s’all.” Clyde smiled at her, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of her body tucked in against his.

“Is that what I am to you?” Rey asked gently, her fingers tracing the pattern of the tattoo on his right forearm.

“Oh, I like ya well enough n all,” Clyde remarked before grinning and opening one eye to look at her. “You’ll do to get all fat n pregnant, tendin’ to our thirteen kids n the house while yer man goes out and works in the coal mines for a livin’.” Clyde opened his other eye to wink at her, clearly joking as she playfully smacked his shoulder.

“You beast!” Rey giggled before settling her head back against his chest, her fingers going back to dancing over his arm. “You’re mine, you know. I know I’m only twenty-two, but I know what I want. I always have.”

Clyde turned serious, lifting her face so that he could look into her eyes. “Look, I been a lot of places in my life. Seen a lot of things. Done my part, served my country. I’ve had other women, and I’ve had a girlfriend or three in my life, but no one like you. When I say yer the love of my life, Rey, I mean it, and those ain’t words I take lightly.”

”I know. I meant it, too. I don’t ever want to be with another man, Clyde. You have my heart completely.” Rey had never imagined, when her father had informed the family about the threats coming from the First Order, and that they would be getting a contingent of bodyguards to protect them - that she would meet the man of her dreams. But here she was, tucked away in his arms in a cabin in West Virginia, thinking about a life with him - one filled with children and love and happiness.

He smiled down at her, kissing her lips tenderly before letting her settle back onto his chest. He wanted to give this woman the world - no matter what. He would gladly give up his job to be with her. He watched as her fingers traced over the tattoo he had gotten so long ago, planting another kiss to her head as he sighed happily.

“W-What’s the meaning behind your tattoo?” Rey finally asked, before pulling his hand to her mouth and kissing each finger as she waited for him to answer.

“Rite of passage. Got that the day I graduated Ranger school,” Clyde said. “Ya gotta earn yer ink, and it ain’t easy. But it was worth it.” Clyde shrugged, giving Rey a half smile. She pulled his arm to her perfect lips, kissing his tattoo with a sweet reverence that almost brought a tear to his eye.

“That’s why you have bad dreams, as well, isn’t it?” Rey asked, her tongue ghosting over the skin before she kissed it again. “I’d take them away if I could. I know you don’t sleep well.”

“I dunno. Slept pretty well today with this pretty gal beside me,” Clyde remarked, one corner of his lips turning upwards. *”Ya know I’d take yer nightmares away, too, if I could.”

“I know. You’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?” Rey kissed his forearm again, loving how safe this man made her feel.

“I sure would.” Clyde wanted to shiver at the feel of her lips on his inked forearm. Everything Rey did was so very attractive to him.

“Do you dream about the war?” Rey asked softly, her eyes looking up to meet his. “It must have been horrible. I can’t even imagine what you must have seen.”

Clyde’s face stayed the same, but Rey saw his eyes change, turning sad and haunted. “I saw things over there I’d never wish for another human bein’ ta see. I seen more death and heartache than anyone should see in a lifetime. Thanks ta my trainin’ and my buddies, though, we came home. Not everyone was so lucky.”

Rey nodded. “So, you said you were a Ranger? That’s…” Rey racked her brain to try and remember what she knew about the American military. “That’s a specialized group, right? Extra training?”

Clyde grinned at her and nodded. “Yep. My biggest accomplishment ‘sides gettin’ my college degree. Somethin’ ta be proud of, I guess. I just did what felt right.”

“I’m proud of you,” Rey murmured, her eyes glimmering with love and devotion as she looked at him.

“I know, and I’m right proud a ya, too, darlin’. Ya amaze me every day with how smart ya are.”

Rey smiled at him again, “I think we’ll do great things together, Clyde. I think,” Rey bit her bottom lip shyly, “I think that if we ever had a family, they would always know love, and know that we’d protect them no matter what, and allow them to be whatever and whoever they wanted to be.”

Clyde grinned. “I agree with ya, darlin’. Ya know I was just kiddin’ about thirteen kids, right? Five’ll do instead.”

Rey just shook her head and laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Ya could say that,” Clyde replied, “Now c’mere, and let’s talk about it more in depth.”

….

Three days later, after Clyde had shovelled out the driveway - which had led to a snowball fight and Rey insisting he make snow angels with her - his family arrived for a quick visit, bringing supplies with them.

Rey sat in front of the fireplace, a large mug of tea in her hand as Clyde welcomed his brother and his family and sister, only turning when Clyde introduced her to them all. His sister, Mellie, was the first to approach her after everyone had settled in for the day.

“Hey there, Rey. How ya gettin’ on?” Mellie settled onto the couch beside her, smiling.

“Oh, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” she replied, offering Mellie a smile in return.

Leaning towards her, Mellie asked gently, “How long have ya been with my brother? Oh, I know yer his directive n all, and he’s protectin’ ya, but there’s more than that here. He’s in love with ya somethin’ fierce, and I noticed y’all are sharin’ the big bedroom.” Mellie nudged Rey gently in the shoulder with her own before winking and whispering again. “Welcome to the family.”

Rey’s eyes searched fro Clyde, who appeared to be in a heated discussion with his brother in the kitchen.

“Ain’t she a bit young?” Jimmy asked, not keeping his voice as low as Clyde would have liked. He looked across the room towards Rey, who was sitting next to Mellie on the couch.

“Don’t see how that’s any a yer business, Jimmy.” Clyde remarked, smiling at Rey as their eyes met.

“Because yer sleepin’ with her, Clyde. We all know ya are sharin’ a room, and we all know you. Ya can’t keep yer eyes off her, and I’m bettin’ if we weren’t here, that’s not all ya wouldn’t be able to keep off her. Just lookin’ out for my little brother, okay? Don’t need ya nursin’ a broken heart again.”

“I suggest ya make nice with her, and make sure yer mindin’ yer manners, Jimmy. Yeah, she’s my job n all, and yeah, we’re together. I… I love her, and I’m plannin’ on makin’ her a part of the family officially someday. I don’t wanna hear yer thoughts or opinions on it none, either. Ya got Sylvie, and ya got Sadiebug. Ya got yer family, and I deserve ta have one too.”

Jimmy threw up his hands in defeat. “Alright then. But if I flirt with her, ya ain’t gonna punch me, are ya?”

Clyde grinned at Jimmy. “Nah, I’ll let Sylvie handle it. She’s fiercer than I am.”

Jimmy looked at his wife, who was talking with Rey and Mellie, and shuddered. “That she is.”

Rey smiled at the pre teen girl when she approached her, and as Sadie settled onto the couch beside her, giving Rey a beaming smile, Rey knew she was being felt out by her. The Logan’s were a tight knit family, and anyone who may be entering their little family circle had to be properly vetted by everyone - and now it was Sadie’s turn.

“Ya got a nice accent. Same as One Direction. Ya from England?”

Rey nodded, smiling at the mention of her younger sister’s favorite pop band - who happened to be from London, as well. Rey had met them several times, in fact, which she was certain would elicit a squeal from Sadie if she revealed that fact.

“I am. Same city as One Direction, as well. London. Which of the guys is your favorite? My sister was over the moon for Harry.”

“Well, Harry’s alright, ya see. I liked Zayn, ‘til he left n all. Now, I’m definitely into Liam!” Sadie’s eyes got dreamy, a look Rey recognized all too well from her sister. “Don’t tell my Daddy, please? Momma and Sylvie know I like boys n all, but Daddy n Uncle Clyde, they’d probably punch a boy if he even wanted ta take me out. I’m twelve, though, but they still think I’m little n all.” Sadie sighed dramatically, shrugging, and Rey laughed.

“It’s ok, Sadie. I’m twenty-two, and my father still treats me like that, too. It’s the way Dad’s are, I think. I should probably tell you, though… I’ve met One Direction, and they are all very nice guys. Want to see some pictures?”

“Yes!” Sadie squealed, bringing all the other adults in the room eyes to them. Clyde automatically started to move towards them, as did Jimmy, but Rey waved them off, holding up her phone to show them all she was about to show Sadie something.

“I was going to show Sadie some pictures, if that is alright?” Rey’s eyes went to Clyde, and he nodded after a moment. He had taken the sim card out of her phone so that they couldn’t be tracked, but she could still access her pictures and videos on the device itself.

Rey settled in, Sadie next to her, and they spent the afternoon talking. When his family left later that night, all the females hugged, and Jimmy offered her a nod and a handshake as he left.

As soon as their truck had started down the winding mountain road, Clyde had her in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. “I’ve been waitin’ ta do this all damn day.”

….

It took Earl two weeks to officially clear the threat, and as they packed up to head back to Ithaca, Rey found she was sad. Now they had to return to life - to the routine of school and responsibilities - and after having Clyde to herself for two weeks and taking their relationship to the next level, Rey wasn’t ready to face real life again.

Earl had met with them in Ithaca in person to give the news, and would be returning in the evening given this was such a delicate matter. He needed to be sure Clyde got the updated files in hand rather than electronically given their situation.

“We did a thorough sweep of the school, and all the buildings surrounding the area in a mile wide radius. Several holes were found, but no devices remained. As far as in the house, nothing has been found, however it’s likely because of the size of the property, there is a chance it could have been taken by a drone,” Earl peered out the window and then back to Rey before locking eyes with Clyde. “I’d suggest functions stay to a minimum at this time, keep the shades drawn and avoid being outside for prolonged periods of time until this settles.”

Clyde nodded, asking for the coordinates for each of the sites and Earl pulled out a folder, informing him that there hadn’t been a slip up, no halves of fingerprints or any biological evidence was left at any of the scenes to give a lead.

“Whomever was responsible knows exactly how to play their hand,” Earl added.

Rey looked up at Clyde, her fear evident, and asks, “Should I drop this semester? If I can’t go out,” she gasps, “will I have to go back home?” Rey loops her arm around Clyde’s, hoping that isn’t the case. “Please? Please don’t make me -“ her words trailed off, her eyes pleading past the desperation to avoid Stephen.

Earl lifted an eyebrow at Clyde while he watched the two interact.

“No, no, we’ll figure something out ta keep ya here. Ya have nothin’ ta worry about da-Rey,” Clyde corrected himself.

It had been hard enough to have to leave their bed this morning, especially with the way she’d cup his cheek or pull him back towards her. It had been both the best and the worst feelings all mixed up into several more dances with her between the sheets. Clyde began to smile at the thought only to be called back to attention by Earl.

He assured Rey that if need be that they would be able to get her transferred to online classes given the circumstances.

“It’s not exactly like they don’t know either,” Jess piped up, welcoming her friend and Clyde back. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t switch you already.”

“You, you think?” Rey asked

“Yea, what do you think they do with me?”

Rey side-eyed her.

“I mentioned I was your guard and they offered it up without a second thought,” Jess grinned. “Did you really think I’d pass up the opportunity to sit on the couch instead of those terrible plastic chairs?”

Rey smirks, her grin growing wider as she adds, “is that why I never see you go to class?”

“Yup, I figure I’m paying for it as it is. Best get to do it my way, in my pajamas, and that awesome lambskin blanket your sister has puts coats to shame. And, the best part is, I get to avoid the cold rain - you know - the kind that would rather be snow but can’t make up its mind?”

While the girls talk Earl keeps his eyes on Clyde, “Pava.”

“Echo, Alp...” Jess stops mid word to look at Earl. “What has your…fine. C’mon Rey, I’ll get you set up.”

Clyde had never seen Jess stand down, but the feel of Rey’s hand leaving his arm had him concerned. What did Jess mean? Did she really say what she did for online classes? And losing Rey’s hand on him created a pit inside him, even though he knew she’d be in the house, she wasn’t going to be right beside him. He’d reached out with his other hand, trying to hold her again before letting her go completely, an action he’d gotten used to needing. He’d watch her smile at him coyly and his cheeks would nearly always heat up from it.

But now it was out, and Earl had a front row view.

Clyde had never been one to lie, and didn't bother speaking up when Earl judged what he had seen. There was no reason to. The man seemed to know enough to try to stop him with the story about Speedy… but the look given and the one received had been enough.

Clyde and Rey had to lay low - and maybe that could mean physically too.

He’d been as sure footed as he could to get back to where the girls were sitting, even if he didn’t feel that way. Earl’s reminder went without saying. They’d been caught by someone.

He’d worried about that fact the moment he’d started having feelings about her. The ones he knew he shouldn’t have - and heavens knows he tried - but fate kept pulling them together. It had to be that, because the moment he made it back to her, the better he felt.

“So, you’re saying they’ll just switch everything?”

“Yeah. They pretty much have to,” Jess nodded at him as he entered the room. “If you become a casualty because of something they overlooked or didn’t provide, they can be held partially responsible. And no one wants that.”

Clyde presses his lips together, agreeing silently that they can’t be having that. His eyes trailed over her skin, starting at her hand that patted the cushion next to her, loving the way she called to him even in the open. He’d raised his eyes to meet hers, finding the same heat he felt in his heart for her staring back at him.

He cursed the fact that they were already wanting just about any reason to whisk her back into the mountains with him. There, where his heart thundered for her freely, where they could be who they are, perfectly in love for the rest of their lives. He loved the fact that she enjoyed being there, not just for their intimacy but also because of the quiet. His girl didn’t crave the spotlight, he knew that.

Her eyes grew wide and lips parted in a thankful sign he’d come to live for when he sat beside her instead of his usual seat across the room.

“Sup, Kyle?” Jess asked, ignoring the two of them, which made him mutter something of a hello back to her.

“The only thing I don’t see is how I’m going to do volunteer work if I can’t be out,” Rey turned her gaze from him to Jess, who tapped away at her laptop.

“So don’t?”

“I don’t know, we’re trying to avoid having to be home for break. Maybe just Christmas, but I don’t exactly want to be there,” she stuttered.

“Cause of that manwhore your mom should be seeing?” Jess snorted, her eyes growing wide while she realized what she said was out loud. Her grin spread far into her cheeks, dying for anyone to chime in. That’s what it was, and her eyes glimmered with amusement.

“A what?” Clyde had the mercy for Jess to ask.

“You can’t tell me you don’t see it. Why else would she be pushing for Rey to date the bastard?”

“Marry,” Rey whispered.

“What?” Jess’ eyes locked with Rey’s.

“It’s what she wants,” she sighed, leaning against Clyde.

“Certainly not what you want, correct?” Jess lifted her eyebrow at Rey, waiting for her response.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Clyde nearly growled.

“Kyle,” Jess raised her hand at him. “I was asking Rey.”

“Jess...”

“Say it Rey, loud enough for Earl to hear,” the look she gave was goading at best, but Rey knew her friend. Jess wouldn’t put her in a bad position, “he knows.”

“He what?” Rey squeaked.

“You’ll have better security if your honest with your team and yourself, Rey.”

Clyde watched her lean forward, asking Jess if she was part of their team, a question he was regularly asking, but the girl laughed at the question.

“I’m your friend, that means I’m obviously a part of your team. If you want to keep it to yourself, that’s fine, but I would strongly suggest telling mumsy - because that lady is going to need to be talked the fuck off the cliff if you spring it on her last minute.”

. . .

Midterms came and went just as easily as the mild weather turned cold. Jess would nod happily at the now covered windows, adding every remark about that shitty cold rain that she was not missing out on, while she set up the exact same way for each class.

Rey found it was more difficult being online instead of at class. The words appeared, and she spent the time getting back to her professors with papers and quizzes too, but this type of education was destroying her. Rey always learned the best, she felt, at school, among the people. Being able to see the students in it along with her made her feel like less of a number and sort of important for being there. Like she could make a difference… the same sort of difference she was trying to make alongside her father.

It took an hour to focus on her assignment, but hitting the send button settled her in to the weekend again. They didn’t seem quite the same anymore. She hadn’t been out all week, and now being in again this weekend made her feel a little… down. Rey found herself closing her laptop to set it on the table in front of her before cuddling up next to Clyde, who sat patiently waiting for her to finish. He’d become much better at that, she realized. Before, he was just as confused at the amount of time that would go into being plugged in.

While it was sort of amusing watching him move around the living room looking for anything to do while she focused on the screen, Clyde eventually found himself reading some of the required material for her classes just to be able to keep up with the content instead of reading ahead in their special book selections.

Rey found that reading with him suddenly became something they did right before bed after they’d thoroughly loved each other. Sometimes they wouldn’t make it much past a page before passing out, but Rey was determined to see it through. She’d blink herself awake, hard as she could to read to him until a light rolling snore would come from his lips.

This afternoon was different. It was the week before finals, which meant there would be a lull. Where she would have been running around doing volunteer work, getting ready for the season of giving back, Rey was getting ready to unwind with her man wherever she pleased.

Jessica and Rose were taking Kaydel back to the airport to report several pieces of her luggage missing from inside her bag. She’d gone on and on about how important they were, claiming they were her field study tools and that she would have to wait an entire year to replace them. It was enough of a panic that the girls left with her, leaving the two of them alone.

She felt like such a rebel skipping out on volunteer work, even though she had said she’d be staying for that extra involvement. Giving back was always the best option. It was something she lived by, knowing full well there were families with less, but Rey, guided by the longing in her heart for the man that sat beside her, the one she loved more than life itself, decided she would give back to him. He deserved all of her time in every way she could give it.

His warm smile guided her home, his arm hung comfortably over the back of the couch giving her access to him - as if he knew her thoughts before she did. It was exciting to be that in sync with another person, especially one who fully loved her the way she loved him. Rey could see her whole life unfold in the comfort of this man’s arms. Her man, she corrected her thoughts. There truly was no one like him.

The moment Rey reached him she found his lips on hers, working her in a familiar rhythm. He felt like heaven, his strong, wonderful embrace pulling her onto him, working her up, higher and higher until she felt weightless.

“Darlin’,” he sighed at her lips.

“Yes?” she squeaked. The sound had her frowning at herself, wondering why she made such a noise.

Clyde chuckled, holding her tightly against his body, ready to devour her again, “I haveta agree with Jess…”

“Oh?” she asked, cocking her head to the side, her hands drifting down his shoulders to find the three buttons of his polo straining against their holes.

She’d been thankful he stopped feeling the need to over dress while they were at school, and now more so while they were homebound. If it were up to her, she’d keep him bare to her as they were nightly, sharing a new room within the home. The upstairs had several large suites all with generous space and spa like bathrooms. The one they’d been in overlooked the driveway, while it hadn’t been quite the view it sure made up for in amenities. Something about the way he was looking at her that morning made her wonder if he’d like to try out the bath he’d called a small pool. It was rather large, this she knew was true, especially when Rose went on and on about how Finn could clean Bear easily in it.

By “Bear” she didn’t mean an actual bear, because who would be stupid enough to bring a bear inside? Finn’s family was into having large animals, Great Danes included, and Bear was his favorite, even though he was technically his mother’s dog. The point of the matter was, it was very true that the size of the tub would accommodate a party of two should Clyde ever be interested, Rey smiled to herself.

She’d been caught in her daydream, awoken only to the feel of her bare back flat against a soft fluffy item she couldn’t remember being on the couch at all. In fact, the only item that was on it had been a heavy crochet blanket that had been given to them years ago around Christmas time.

Clyde’s face coming back into view overhead steals her breath away. He’s gorgeous, not that he hadn’t been, but it’s certainly how she can see herself waking up every day for the rest of her life. His mane fluttering around them, tickling her face until she giggled.

“Doesn’t it darlin’?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

“I lost ya there, didn’t I?”

“Just a little,” she agreed while he moved over her, his polo gone from him, surely draped elsewhere.

“Do I have ya now?” he breathed, pressing kisses alongside her neck, his hips rocking against hers and sending shivers all over her body.

“Yes, always...” she moaned, reaching her arms around his waist, her legs following suit… anything, just anything to get him closer.

“Hmm,” he returned, pressing his length harder against her.

Rey found she loved the way he’d try to control himself, the way he’d shudder with need each time he ground against her. His lips would part just so, his eyes would darken, even his muscles would twitch under her hands, but to her this wasn’t a power she had, it was the love she’d become at one with. Her body would respond to each delicious sound he’d make, every breath, every touch had her body singing with desire.

She found he would linger there, treating her, she assumed. While Clyde would never mark her, he certainly couldn’t stop himself from giving her extra care.

“I think ya did,” he smiled, trailing little kisses along her jaw before hovering over her lips, keeping a steady rhythm against her, just enough for her to teeter between remembering her plan and where she could give in and forget.

“Well,” she moaned. “Maybe f-for a m-moment…” she admitted, to which he smiled. His smirk was both smug about being right and curious, to which she answered. “Just thinking about a bath,” she gasped after another drag of himself against her, “with you.”

Her man was entertained, she knew that, but also fighting with his body and logic at the same time. “But first,” she leaned up to remove her leggings and underwear in one motion, her eyes never leaving his, “I thought…” she paused, pushing him down into the lamb skin draped over the cushion of the couch, his back comfortably conforming to the wool there.  
“What did ya think?” Clyde swallowed.

“I thought I might like to take care of my man first,” Rey found the waist of his pants, her fingers gripping both his jeans and boxers to slide them down his huge legs. Rey found this difficult the first few times unless he’d worn his sweatpants, but by now, she’d practiced enough to cause him no pain. She’d learned to hide her worry too, working entirely off of the way he’d watched her.

“Well,” she’d moved lower, pressing kisses into his neck. “You see…” she suckled and nipped at his skin down his chest, one hand planting on his thigh while the other traveled with her down his body. “I thought since we had the house to ourselves…” Rey pushed out of his hold, his hands now landing beside him. Unsettled as he was, she couldn’t help but find a thrill out here wondering what he might say to her when she finally told him.

“I might like to taste you out here...” Rey hadn’t given him much time to answer her interest, she’d only waited for a soft gasp to leave his lips before she flattened her tongue against his length, licking a long stripe up him from base to his now weeping head.

Clyde’s body tensed, and he hissed out a breath when she wrapped her hand around the base of him. She found she’d enjoyed that sound quite a bit, it made her smile each time he’d done it, pushing her on. Rey bit her lip while she stroked him, watching Clyde lick his own.

His lips parted while she worked him, “Rey…” he hissed.

Rey blew at his cap before swirling her tongue over it.

“Please,” he groaned.

Rey could feel him, hard and needy under her fingers. Her own arousal tempting her to guide his thick cock into her, they needed this, she could feel it. Instead, Rey’s tongue darted over her lips before sinking down to wrap them around his head, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could. Her man, being as big as he was, had her working him with her mouth and hand in tandem.

“Darlin,” he moaned again, plunging his thick fingers roughly through her hair. He did his best not to force her down or thrust up into her.

While Rey knew her man would always keep her safe, sometimes she’d do her best to push him over that threshold. She wanted to help him unwind, and the handful of times she reached it he’d teeter over in the most delicious way. Now, her body heaved with want - as his did - but she was determined to get him to come out here, out in the open.

She’d stop only to breathe before diving back in, several times trying to push as much of him as she could into her small mouth. His gasps and desperate sounds made her try harder.

Rey could hear him swallow, trying to say her name while his body reveled in the feel of her wet mouth on him.  
“I’m,” he moaned, “I’m gonna—” he closed his eyes tight as Rey purposefully hollowed out her cheeks, sucking hard enough to push him over.

Clyde came hard, too hard actually, making it difficult for Rey to keep her mouth on him which made him chuckle a little. His spend shot high, landing both on and between them, finally giving him enough room to pull Rey back up his body so they could lay there together while he regained his strength. Something about it gave her a thrill, being able to wind him up was something else altogether.

“What-What am I gonna do with ya?” he breathed, his chest rising and falling rapidly while he tried to calm himself down.  
“I suppose we’ll have to wait and see,” she giggled, wiggling against him.

Clyde held her well into the hour, coming up with a plan to get her back. She didn’t need to be doing such a thing to get his attention. It was hard enough to keep himself off of her while she worked. At first they tried, where he’d sit with her in the bed they shared, which quickly became off limits, for work that is. The drawn blinds kept him on, ever ready for his girl, and it seemed she was dying for this freedom too. They’d explored most of the house’s surfaces together, learning what she liked best was most of his pleasure. Clyde loved being the only one she’d ever love enough to explore this with, and when he began to stir beneath her again, she’d returned the delicious friction he’d been looking for.

Without a word he held her tightly to him, still sticky with spend, lifting her while he stood up. His balance still wavering a little as he looked around the room for their clothes.

“Can’t be leavin’ evidence,” he replied to her chuckle.

“True. I can’t say I’d want to share,” she added, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Don’t be worryin’ none about that. No one’ll ever replace ya,” he promised her.

“You either,” Rey’s eyes welled up in response.

He knew why. He was quite literally her world, and he’d cherish that until the day he died.

“C’mon darlin,” he said with a smile. “It’s time we put that bath I’ve been eyein’ inta good use.”

Their bathroom had been unlike any one he’d been in outside of her presence or at home in general. It was a luxury that came with wealth. One that he was sure he’d never be used to, that was for sure. While it was nice to have enough space to fit a king-sized bed in the open spaces, he wasn’t sure what the purpose for it really was. A white and rose gold flecked marble was selected for the room, that covered nearly every surface including the walls and floor, and a vanity housing more drawers than the dresser they started sharing in their room. Chic, somewhat masculine silver framed mirrors hung over the sinks there, not that he cared. All that mattered was getting his lady through the room and to the jet lined soaker as smoothly as he could.

  
He felt Rey’s hand leave his shoulder to reach the wall, flipping a switch that wasn’t just for the lights. The floor began to warm up under his feet and he stilled a beat, a curious look came over her features.

“I’ll remember that fer later,” he said, winking at her.

The bath was certainly the centerpiece of the room itself. A setting had been made around it complete with ample space, enough to create a makeshift potted plant forest on, and the other housed green plush towels he was sure were never used. Clyde climbed the stairs, surprised by the coolness underfoot, as he finally made it up and over the lip of the basin.

There they stood consuming the other, their kisses igniting the space. He could hear her needy little sounds beg him to take her, but instead he’d parted from her to lean down to start the water. Next, he’d moved to push the plants further against the wall towards the corner to give his lady the room he desired. After, Clyde picked up one towel after another, spreading them out over the cold surface until he could finally guide her to it, adding, “Ya done taken real good care a me before, darlin,” her knees buckled slightly as she bumped up against the edge of the tub. “I’ve been hopin’ ta utilize this here space fer sometime now…”

  
Her eyes hooded as he spoke. Clyde knew she’d been drunk on him, and he would do anything to keep it that way. Rey, well, she’d been just as hungry for him as he was for her, and there was something absolutely beautiful about it.

He’d been one to tell her, or at least remind her when he felt his words were more necessary than the press of his lips.  
Now though, now it was time to take care of his lady. The faucet poured warm water, barely filling the marginal slant near the drain giving him an idea of the kind of time he’d have to work on her before laying the love of his life down on the towels behind her.

“Now ya ain’t gonna turn the tables on me, ya hear?” he asked, though his question didn’t sound much like one to him.  
Clyde shifted so that both his hands, one which caringly cradled her head, and the other that supported her back on the way down, began to move their way down her body. His thumbs kneaded into the flesh there while he kissed her, eagerly picking up where he’d left off. Clyde trailed his hot tongue down her body, loving the way she arched her back to reach for him. He smirked the moment she’d slung her leg around him again, trying desperately to feel him.

He let his hand drop from her waist and travel around her ass, guiding her against his thick thigh, doing his best not to enter her just yet. The feel of spreading her folds there and her arousal painting his leg had him seeing stars. Clyde did his best to remind himself that this was for her while he rocked his length against her hip and took her pert nipple into his mouth. Her surprise had been evident, the gasp made him fight his stretching grin.

His girl was always responsive to him he’d learned, almost too much, seeing as she nearly accidentally took out their chances at a family with one close call when he happened to graze a thumb ever so slightly over her hip bone that one time. He had to remind himself constantly of that spot and how ticklish it was, given how attracted he seemed to be to it. Being rendered sterile by a kick to his most sensitive area was not something either of them wanted.

Rey bucked her hips and moaned. Her hands weaved their way deep into his hair, catching once or twice on knots she had the wherewithal to apologize for. His shift made him aware of the now ankle deep water filling the tub, his mouth leaving her breast with a wet pop, quieted only by the tiny startled waves.

Clyde did his best to move down her body while she held him in place against her.

“C’mon darlin…”

“I need you,” she whined, her legs dropping to the sides of him when his thumb found her tight bundle of nerves.

“Ya have me,” he promised.

“All of you, Clyde,” she whimpered while he worked her.

“Ya have all of me, Rey. Ain’t no other person’s been in my life the way ya have. I’d move heaven n earth for ya if ya wanted. I ain’t never thought much about soulmates er nothin, but yer mine… I just know it,” he rasped, rubbing her clit while he sank to his knees in front of her.

Rey’s hips bucked up towards him while he held his thumb in place.

“You’re mine,” she moaned. Her call filled the space around them, louder this time while he teased her entrance with his tongue.

  
Clyde found he loved it when she’d arch off the towels in response to him, but was desperately trying not to hurt her or lose his entering fingers as she moved.

“Lay back darlin,” he tried, but she’d had enough.

“I need you, please,” she breathed, “don’t make me beg.”

“Shh,” he crooned, removing his fingers from her. “I’d never, and ya know it darlin.

Rey whined at the loss of his digits, only to cry out as he filled her instead. He hissed at the delicious feel of her overstimulated center stretching around him. Her heated core clamping down on him through a miniature release had him praying he wouldn’t come.

“I-I need,” she moved against him, his body still hot and wet from the rising water - surprisingly much higher and hotter than he remembered. The room now resembling a sauna, what with the heated floor, hot bath water and steamy, thick air surrounding him, Clyde couldn't help but feel the pressing need to open a door or window. Instead he plowed into her repeatedly. Sweat rolled off his brow and down his back while he pounded into her.

Each snap of his hips brought him higher, the low sounds of their slick bodies ricocheted off the walls just as the symphony of their combined moans.

“Yes, Clyde… yes! That’s it,” his lady sang again. He’d felt how her hands gripped his ass, trying desperately to hang on. “Give me all… of… you,” her head tipped back on the plush towel set, her mouth wide open, screaming in silent ecstasy. It’s something he’s come to know as being her “big one”, the very one he tries for every time before allowing himself to have his release.

“I love ya, Rey, always.”

Just as he always did, Clyde cleaned the both of them up before scooping her into his arms and into the now slightly overflowing bath. Rey, as sated as she was, thought quickly, releasing the drain for a moment before plugging it back up to enjoy a nice soak with her man. She’d showed him how to use the jets and cuddled up in his arms, chest to chest, so she could lay her hand over his heart.

“I’m the luckiest woman alive, Clyde,” she said.

“And why’s that, darlin’?”

“Because we have each other…”

. . .

_SLAM!_

The sound of the front door closing startled the couple from the rest of the time they’d enjoyed together in the tub. Neither knew how long they were out, but it was certainly time to exit. The two listened in while the girls went on with their conversation, both of them giggling between themselves.

“I can’t believe they can go through a passenger’s stuff like that! It’s checked and double checked before getting on, and I’m licensed to carry. I bet they don’t do this shit to doctors…” Kaydel complained.

“You aren’t a doctor, princess,” Rose informed her.

“Don’t call me princess,” she retorted.

“That’s not even the strangest part,” Rose changed the subject. “Jess, what did you say to that guy?”

“Which guy? There were like eleven…” Jess asked in her usual tone.

“The cop.”

“They aren’t cops. They’re TSA employees, easily taken down by a badge and a believable statement.”

“Jess, what are you doing flashing a badge you laminated at Kinkos?”

“Makes people listen to me. I’ll flash whatever I have to to get what I want.”

Kaydel snorts, her fury the whole ride home evaporates, repeating Jess several times before giving up her anger altogether. Jess did get her items back with whatever was on that card, and her line of bullshit she couldn’t remember now.

Rose is next to go.

“If you didn’t have that thing what would it have been?”

Jess shrugs, taking a swig of her Coke, “You know me, I’d improvise.”

“Speaking of… what the hell language was that? I thought you exclusively spoke English.”

“Farsi.”

Rose halted, her face flat, now totally unamused.

“You made that up.”

Jess only grins.

“Isn’t that middle eastern?”Kaydel asks whipping out her phone. “Some dialect or something?”

“How much you wanna bet she threatened to beat him with a goat until your tools were returned? I saw that head bob towards that woman’s ‘service’ goat,” Rose pushed. “And since when did we go from service dogs to service goats?”

The girls laughed, while Kaydel researched that too. She was always on her phone or buried in her work, this time it came back in the form of multiple animals - including one very proud peacock owner.

Rey’s phone buzzed on the coffee table in the living room, on and on until Jess found it.

“Ugh, it’s Lizzy,” Jess made a face, refusing to touch the thing as if it had been diseased. “Kay, take this thing?”

“Nope!” she replied, not wanting to deal with it either. It’s not like they didn’t get along, she just really didn’t need to spend an hour listening to the woman go on and on about her scented candles and try to coax her into coming up with a new fragrance named after their family. This happened all too often, and Kay, for one, was sick of it.

“I’ll take it,” Rose called from the kitchen. “She likes me best anyway.”

“You act like that’s something we’re all dying to achieve,” Jess slips in right before Rose picks up.

“Hi!” her voice carries. Rose points to the two of them to go push Rey along, whatever it was - Rose knew she could only stall for so long.

Elizabeth’s tone was less excited at first until she realized who she was talking to. It took moments, being that the woman was clearly deep in thought and planning an event of epic proportions, but quickly drew her attention back to Rose who had been overly happy to hear from her. It wasn't odd or off putting in the least, moving the two deep into conversation about school, information on her daughter, which Rose quickly added that she must be in the office trying to tie up some loose ends.

  
“Being such an event planner like yourself, I would only assume that it takes an incredible amount of time and patience.”  
Well, that kept her on the phone for longer, only pausing briefly at the change of topics from planning to what Rose and her family would be doing for Christmas.

“It may actually be a Christmas miracle this year if my dad can hold off with over decorating,” she said, waiting for Elizabeth to finish laughing. “Yeah, let me tell you, last year he was on some kick with the neighbor to be the best light show on the block, but they’d moved since then and don’t live in a single detached unit anymore. So when he decorated, he did the building, for everyone. An hour in the fuse blew and shut out the block. They had most people overnight at a shelter - thank goodness it wasn’t Christmas Eve, or we’d have had a bigger problem.”

“You know if your family ever goes through that again, you can always contact me. I can have something arranged for them to live comfortably instead of going to a shelter. I can’t hardly imagine having to do such a thing,” Elizabeth said.

“Thank you, Ma’am. I won’t bring that up to my father until after it happens, though. Can’t be encouraging it, you know,” Rose laughed with Rey’s mother a few more minutes before spotting Rey. “Oh, it seems she must be finished. It was lovely talking to you.” At Elizabeth’s return, she promptly handed the phone over to Rey, and whispered, “All yours.”

“So? Event planning?” her mother prodded.

“Well, no…”

Elizabeth cut her off, going into how much she goes through on a daily basis, what with how hard it must be to find the correct color linens or help for that matter. No sooner did she say it when she leaned in to her friends again, favoring Rose as if she was her daughter, and cutting down Jess to less than a shred of who the woman was. Kaydel had only been targeted due to her disinterest in her project instead of the education Kay was pursuing. Rey knew that would change if she were the one to pick up the phone instead of Rose, but Rose was always the favorite. Not that it bothered Rey. Anyone that could keep Elizabeth at bay was a friend to keep.

Rey rolled her eyes and walked the hall, unable to get through “talking” to her mother while sitting. She found it soothing in a way, feeling as if she could walk away from the conversation… if she could call it that, too. Her mother’s idea of a conversation was her talking and everyone agreeing with her. The thought of her practicing in the mirror entertained the fact that no one would be agreeing, and wondered if she avoided it for that reason.

Her mother paused, leaving enough time for Rey to respond, but when she didn’t she was scolded. Rey simply lifted her eyebrows and apologized adding, “I really can’t agree. Napkins and linens aren’t my main concern.”

That wasn’t right, but it did earn a smirk she could nearly see while Clyde walked beside her.

Worth it. Definitely worth it.

Mom, however, didn’t enjoy it. The woman went on and on about how she needed to make Stephen’s engagement party perfect, and that Rey was of no help to her, studying at her choice school instead of home with her future husband.

Rey could hear the grinding sound her teeth made when she clenched them together, trying not to bark at her mother.  
“I’d really rather not have this discussion,” Rey tried.

“Which one? Ithaca? Certainly not your engagement party. Every young woman dreams of this time in their lives,” her mother said.

“Not to the wrong man…”

“What with the gowns and the people, gifts galore, and the venues. Can I just tell you where it is before you say anything?”

  
“Mother…”

“It’s quite gorgeous. I wanted a place that could be well lit and encased in glass. Wouldn’t it be magnificent if it snowed?”

  
“Mother? Can I please, just…”

“And don’t get me started about your dress…”

“MOTHER!” Rey yelled, now shaking and furious. “Stop your efforts! I’m not marrying that controlling psychopath of a child! If you want to have a party for the sake of having a party, just do it. Surround yourself with the people who only care about your status, not your heart.”

Elizabeth’s silence rang loudly in her ear. It took moments before she could fathom nearly growling her response, “What?”  
“You would know this if you’d only listen! That’s the thing with people in power. We only see what we want. Well I don’t want this life! I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want Stephen - I never have. He’s a dangerous lunatic, willing to hurt what he claims to love, all in the name of power. And you would see it if you weren’t so worried about the spoils. What is it about me that you hate so much that you’d force this life on me? One bound to another that’s only looking to provide pain and suffering. Do you owe their family something? Does Father?”

Silence hung between them, a hint of her mother’s breath hit the receiver.

“I tried to tell you. Years have passed, mum, years. He’s never been faithful. Even when there was a possibility the man could be something great, he still found every reason not to be. I’ve seen the pictures, I can confirm the stories… it’s not all media, mother. He doesn’t love me.”

“What do you know about love?” her mother finally hissed. “What could you possibly know? Your life belongs to me and your country. You don’t have a say. You will represent this family and marry Stephen, and you will follow his command whether he is what you say or not, do I make myself clear?”

“No…”

“Excuse me?”

“I said NO! If you feel so inclined to take another spouse - take him, you belong together, mother. Keep your hands from my affairs.”

“You have no affairs!” she shouted.

“No,” Rey growled, “I’ve found love on my own. Have your gaudy party, I won’t be in attendance.” No sooner did she decline, did she turn off her phone and throw it far down the hall. Rey turned on her heel, not once feeling the need to check for damages. To her, anything that held her mother’s message was garbage. Tears she didn’t notice forming had rained down her cheeks.

  
“Shh,” Clyde wrapped his arms around her, while Jess couldn't quite let the moment pass.

“That’s fucking right, LIZZY!” she screeched, her body bowing backwards as she continued to yell about how proud Rey made her. “Goddamn doesn't that feel good?! We are celebrating tonight - what’d you all want to eat?”

“Whatever it is, can it not be pizza?” Rose asked, “I’m so bound up from all that dough over this week, I’m just about ready to pop a laxative.”

Rey simply covers her face, trying to hide her giggles. It shouldn’t be funny, but after such a release, she’s found herself punchy as ever. Simple words or phrases had her cheeks rosy, nearing painful from all of her smiling. It did feel good to push back, even more so because of her support there. If she had been at home, in person, throwing a phone would have no effect and she certainly wouldn’t be able to get out of it quite as easily.

“Chinese?” Jess offers, pulling up the menu on her phone. “That’ll clean you out.”

“Yeah, for days…what about Thai?” Rose countered.

“Isn’t that downtown, though?”

“Nah, there’s one about four blocks down. That mom and pops on the other side of the library.”

“Oh! Maz’s, my…” Kaydel stopped short, changing her direction. Her big doe eyes gave away far more information than she intended to. “My… person… swears by it.”

Just like that, the attention shifts from Rey to Kaydel, while the girls settle on the favorite among them, drunken noodles. Jess and Rose do their best to push for information.

“The least you can do is clarify what you mean by person,” Jess starts.

“Person… as in not any other species.”

“So it’s definitely a human. Is it one we would know?”

“Fifty says it’s curly from the dance…” Jess added.

“You don’t have fifty to give if you’re wrong. You just said you were too broke for a coffee.”

“Starbucks coffee is four dollars a drop,” she snorted… “of course I don’t have enough for a large cup.”

“Trenta…”

“Gesundheit.”

Rose pressed her lips together, trying to keep herself from continuing.

“So, drunken noodles for all?” Kaydel tried again.

Clyde shifted in his seat, whispering to Rey for an explanation.

Rey smiled at her man’s question, explaining that drunken noodles were simply fried noodles and meat, made with a spicy sauce - intended to make your nose run and keep your water glass handy - because you’d need it as you ate them.

Rey grinned at the look on his face, adding that he can order anything else if it doesn’t look as appetizing as the girls believe.  
“You think it would be better to order and have it delivered, or go pick it up?” Jess asked.

“I can go,” Kay offered all too quickly, cringing when she realized the girls were staring.

“Confirmed,” Rose and Jess said at the same time, “We’re coming with.”

In the girls doing so, it left Rey to decompress with Clyde.

“I feel like such a child,” she started.

“Yer not,” Clyde promised. “Ya needed ta lose it. Elizabeth wasn’t listenin’. Had she have been it’d have been different, but that’s on her, darlin’, not you.”

“But I threw the phone in anger,” she snorted.

“I’ve thrown plenty a things before. How’s a flamin’ bottle a James fer one?”

“You didn’t,” she couldn’t help the grin that split her face.

“I did. Made a real mess outta life back then - but it’d been worth it. Made me feel a lil better given the circumstances,” Clyde sighed while he hugged her tighter. “Besides… I don’t think ya chucked it hard enough ta cause real damage.”

“Oh?” she cocked her head to the side to look up at him. His grin was as wide as hers.

“Nah, I figure I can teach ya if ya like. Although, the moment is over. Maybe ya don’t want ta break it anymore than ya have.  
“Do you still have my sim card somewhere?” Rey asked. At his nod, she promised that it wasn’t anything she’d need going forward so long as she had him.

“Then school is in session,” Clyde grinned, releasing her to race her to the phone’s carcass.

. . .

Clyde loved being able to give back to Rey. Knowing he could provide a simple happiness past what he’d been giving her in bed made him feel whole, like more than a man. Hers. Plain and simple. Rey, however, wasn’t plain and simple, there was a complexity to her life that he was sure she didn’t need. It was a stress he wished he could remove, just like the evils targeting her in her nightmares and daily life. He mulled over a plan to help her through it. As much as he loved being cooped up with her, he knew his girl needed to be set free. But how?

For now her freedom came in the form of destroying a phone.

That, he could do.

“Now, ya see, I haven’t thrown one a these on purpose like ya, but I’d imagine ya need to get a good spin on it n throw it hard so it bounces,” Clyde guessed, giving the thing a fair amount of power back down the hallway towards the living room. He laughed the moment it bounced as he said it would, and Rey covered her mouth in surprise before racing him to get her turn.  
The more they tried, the lighter he felt, knowing that she was right there with him.

Rey’s phone hurtled back towards the living room it’s final time when the girls came back with food. Jess being the first one to realize the game, and the near bewilderment that the thing hadn’t been able to shut off, she thrust the bags she’d been holding to reach in her own, offering the pair a hammer.

“What?” Rose questioned quickly, “When is there a need for a hammer?”

“When is there not a need for a hammer? There’s a perfect reason for one now.”

Rey can’t help her giggles the moment Jess ends the game with an all too practiced swing.

“Somethin’ tells me ya do that a lot,” Clyde added.

“Mhmm, that’s the roach swing. Perfect for those creatures…”

“Roaches?” Kaydel squealed.

“Not here princess…”

“Where then?”

“All over…” she shrugged. “Best use so far is self defense, though. No one expects a hammer.”

It may have been the stress, or the very fact that the four of them were too hungry to get into it with Jess on her logic, but they found themselves agreeing just to get to the bags full of their food. Once everyone was served and at least a few bites were in their systems, Jess took a stand in Rey’s father’s arm chair, pressing her boot into the studded leather there.

“I propose a toast to the strongest among us. Stand up, Rey,” Jess said raising her Heineken, purchased solely for the festive green bottle and red star.

Rey had come to know this about her, it was honestly the only time she’d allow herself to be cute. Once she found out though, there really wasn’t much to talk about. Green tree, red star. It made sense after a story or two of her family Christmas times. There was one time that stuck out in particular to her that Rey would never forget though, never, in the history of ever.

One year the star fell off their four foot tree, which stood on top of a halved sewing table to keep it out of reach of her nephews. Whether it was off balance or just to heavy for their plastic tree, Jess wasn't sure, but the thing did go flying and broke into several pieces. Smaller ones seemed to disappear, leaving her to improvise. Having no other means to fix the problem, she took the blame for the item falling and replaced it with a red paper star instead.

“Mom wasn’t happy, but she got over it - in time,” Rey remembers Jess saying.

It was just the thing she needed to remember now, too, with how she exploded at her mother, reminding her that this too would pass.

“I certainly don’t believe I’m the strongest, Rey,” Rey returned, her hand squeezing Clyde’s beside her.

“You take the most shit,” Rose added. “That’s strength, whether you like it or not.”

“And you don’t smell like shit…” Kaydel tumbled over with giggles.

“What’s wrong with her?” Clyde questioned.

“She got a number!” Rose squealed.

Rey turned the toast around, to celebrate them instead. “How about to us instead? To being a family - because that’s what you are. I know I couldn’t ask for better,” she said, making Clyde feel as though she was talking to them individually and together as one all at the same time.

Rey was right. They did have something special, and he was thankful for all of them as well.

. . .

Finals week came in a flash. It had been insane to watch, Clyde thought at least. Both Jess and Rey found themselves contemplating how good of an idea intravenously consuming coffee would be.

“I just need an extra six hours in this day and I’ll be fine,” Jess nodded a little too close to her cup, dunking her bangs in the wide mouthed mug.

The two had been so stressed out that they actually thought they could scoop out the tainted blend, and Clyde decided his girl needed a chance to unwind for real this time. Not that any other time was not quite as necessary, or his methods weren’t keeping her sated. No.

His lady needed to be taken out somewhere special, somewhere like that light show he’d seen on the local news channel discussing upcoming events for downtown Ithaca.

Bringing it up with her had been the problem though. Clyde knew if he asked about it that he’d have to bring along the crowd when he really, truly needed alone time with his girl. They needed to feel free. So instead of bringing it up, he waited until she was just sleepy enough to follow him to bed, when he finally asked behind closed doors.

“Whatdya think about doing things a little different tonight, darlin’?”

Rey smiled mischievously in response, “Oh?”

“I thought maybe ya’d like ta go out ta night n see those lights with me,” he said, covering her shoulders with his hands. “Ya deserve ta have a life, n ya know I’ll do anythin’ ta give ya that.”

“You already do, Clyde. You give me so much, more than you can imagine. I’m so thankful for you.”

Clyde smirked, “So’s that a yes?” He watched the color in her cheeks turn pink.

“It’ll always be a yes, Clyde. Now, how do you plan on getting us out of here?”

No sooner did she ask, did he already have the pair dressed and ready to move. Downtown was a little ways from home, and not having been on campus for the last two months had them forgetting just how far a walk it was, but Rey promised him she was happy to be out. Her arm hooked around his, all of her little looks she gave him letting him know she was comfortable here with him even after the threat. It gave him such an overwhelming feeling of pride knowing that he could provide that level of protection for her.

The two walked in comfortable silence, listening to their footsteps and the light traffic become heavier as they got into town. Chatter began to grow from little murmurs of sound to passing conversations, kids squealing as they run past their parents to a familiar soft glow. Lights from shop windows colored the sidewalk and streets, attracting window shoppers of all ages in to see their displays. All worth a look, but none catching Rey’s eye like the Winter Lights Festival that he’d proposed in the first place. This year’s featured crystal like forms of colored glass and steel lit from the base up and down the sidewalk down Main Street.

  
He watched her eyes light up, wondering just how they did it. The lights were certainly lovely, each side faceted with another color, including the top. making the ground glow brilliantly in oranges, yellows, pinks and purples - but the most memorable that night was how she rounded the green one. It was a mixture of how her eyes sparkled when they met, and the soft glow on her face that had done planted the idea in his head. He’d find it, even if he had to craft it himself, he’d find it for her.

Niagara Falls was just the thing she needed, Clyde decided as he looked at his lady laying in bed next to him. She was stressed - both from her final exams and by the prospect of returning to London for the holidays. Not only would she have to deal with her family, but she’d also have to deal with Stephen - and if Clyde had to physically restrain the monster from laying his hands on his girl - he would.

That monster wouldn’t ever leave another mark on his lady’s beautiful skin.

Rey was looking at him with sleepy eyes, and Clyde traced patterns over her skin before remarking, “Would ya like ta get away for a few days, darlin’? I was thinkin’ maybe we could take a little trip ta Niagara Falls. I’ve seen pictures of it during the Holiday season, and it looks gorgeous. We could just be ourselves for a few days. Be free. Whatdya think?”

Rey knew Clyde was worried about her. He had been constantly taking care of every need during finals week, making sure she had snacks and coffee in front of her, and carrying her to their bed when she fell asleep on top of her open textbook. Now he wanted to whisk her away to one of the seven wonders of the modern world during the most magical time of the year. He was amazing, and the fact that he was hers made her heart soar.

“I’d love to,” she responded in a whisper, tears pooling in her eyes. Clyde always knew what she needed before she did.

“We can leave tomorrow, spend three or four days there before comin’ back so we can… head to London.” Clyde hated mentioning the elephant in the closet, the thing that made his lady sad and anxious - but they had yet to find a way to stay in the comfort of Ithaca for Christmas. “We can see the lights, the falls… spend lotsa time in bed, order in room service. Go Christmas shopping for your friends, as long as Jess gets somethin’ obnoxious and ridiculous.” Clyde smirked at Rey before leaning in to kiss her, pulling her closer to him and curled his body around her protectively. “I gotcha darlin’, no matter what. We’ll get through this, I swear.”

“Clyde… I… I can’t bear the thought of being in the same room as him. What if he tries to kiss me again? The thought of it makes me want to throw up. Can we just run away somewhere? Please? Maybe we could go back to West Virginia and just live in the cabin.”

“Oh darlin’, I wish we could do that. But would ya ever feel truly settled hidin’ away from reality? *Wouldn’t ya feel like ya weren’t a part of things? I know ya like helpin’ people, darlin’. It’s one of the things I love most about ya. I’d whisk ya away tonight, ya know I would, if I thought ya wouldn’t regret it. But I know ya would.” Clyde kissed her shoulder softly.

Rey simply sighed before nodding her head. Her man knew her so well - she would regret running away from everything. She wanted to face things head on for the first time in her life now that she had this incredible man by her side. She had been raised - been trained, really - to be helpful and fight for the betterment of her country’s people. Now, she had to fight for her own betterment, because she was never going to marry Stephen. If she had her way, she wouldn’t ever be in the same room as him, although she knew that was a dream that would never happen. Her mother would keep pushing the monster at her.

“You’re right. I want to help. I want to finish my degree and work to make things better for people. But… now that I have you, I finally have the strength to fight for what I want. I want you, Clyde. I want a future… a home. A family. I want it all with you, Clyde.”


	6. Chapter 6

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Niagara Falls was stunning, and was just what his girl needed, Clyde decided as he stood next to Rey, watching her as her eyes danced in the lights surrounding them.

They had borrowed a car from Rose to avoid any prying eyes following them, and headed off that afternoon, and Clyde had felt the tension and sadness melt off Rey with each mile they travelled away from Ithaca. Soon enough, they’d have to face the music, of course, and head to London - but for now they were free to be themselves.

Rey had insisted on going out as soon as they had dropped their bags off in their hotel room, and Clyde couldn’t say no to her. 

They walked hand in hand through the streets, making their way to the lookouts surrounding the falls. Clyde marvelled at the way her eyes lit up as she watched the massive amount of water cascading over the precipice, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as they looked out over the water.

“This place is magical,” Rey sighed happily, reaching back with one hand to touch Clyde’s face tenderly. Clyde leaned into the caress, placing a small kiss on the palm of her hand.

“Sure is. Ya look positively stunnin’, darlin’,” Clyde whispered into her ear before nuzzling her neck. “I’d like ta keep ya in bed the whole time, but then we wouldn’t get nothin’ done fars as shoppin’ and sightseein’ n all. The tub in our room is one of them fancy things though… kinda like the one back in Ithaca, seein’ as I got us in one a them honeymoon suites n all.”

Rey turned in his arms, grinning at him. “Did you register us as being newlyweds? Am I Mrs. Logan?”

Clyde just winked at her, grinning. “For these four days, ya sure are.”

Rey kissed him, her lips cold from the chilly air. “Maybe… maybe someday for real? Rey Logan does have a ring to it, don’t you think?”

“I think it does, darlin’,” Clyde answered, his lips still against hers.

Clyde first spotted the delicate anklet in a shop window next to the coffee shop that Rey insisted they had to stop at. It was a delicate little number, silver with emeralds, moonstones and daisies along it. It would look exquisite on her, Clyde knew. As she was shopping in a different store, Clyde made an excuse about spotting something across the street in another shop and snuck off, making the purchase as quickly as he could and returning to Rey’s side. He couldn’t wait for Christmas, to see the look on her face when she saw his gift. Somehow, Clyde knew she would love it.

The Skylon Tower had the best view of the Falls in the area, and as they crossed into Canada with a flash of their passports and a few questions from the tired looking border guards Clyde pulled his lady close to him, watching as her eyes took in the tall tower they would be dining at the top of.

The elevator crept towards the top, affording the couple a spectacular view of Niagara Falls in all its glory, and Rey looked up at Clyde, smiling as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You are incredible,” she said quietly.

“So are you, darlin’,” Clyde said, giving her a half smile. As the elevator doors opened to admit them to a large room, with tables lined with white linens and candles and fresh flowers on every table, Rey smiled again. The ambiance was incredibly romantic, and as they waited for the seating attendant to show them to their table, Rey squeezed Clyde’s hand.

They were lucky enough to get a table near one of the large windows, which provided them a breathtaking view of the falls and all the Christmas lights as they dined. Clyde had told her the whole restaurant rotated slowly, and Rey thought she would feel it somehow - but all she noticed was a slight shift in the scenery every so often as they ate.

As she sipped on her glass of wine, Rey looked across the table at her man, who was smiling at her, his eyes shining with love. “Let’s get married,” Rey said, the words tumbling from her lips. “What’s stopping us? We’re consenting adults, and if we’re married, well, I guess I can’t marry the monster, can I?”

Clyde looked at Rey for a moment before reaching across the table to capture her hand in his. “Darlin’, I wanna marry ya. Ya know that. But it just ain’t the right time for all that yet. I’d lose my job, ya see, or at least get placed on another detail. It’d be a liability, see? Tryin’ ta protect someone I got feelin’s for. We’re lucky Earl ain’t insistin’ I get moved already.”

Rey nodded at Clyde. “I understand, but that’s not enough to stop me from marrying you. I know we couldn’t be open about it - but _we’d_ know. I won’t be kept apart from you, Clyde. I can’t be. I need to be yours in every way I can be.”

“Ya… ya wanna marry me that bad?” Clyde looked into Rey’s eyes, finding a stubborn resolve there that he recognized all too well. When Rey set her mind to something, there wasn’t a lot anyone could do to change it.

“I do. I’ve been researching it all day. Jess is overnighting the documents I need to our hotel, and if we go to the courthouse and file tomorrow for the license, we can get married the next day. You might have to do the same with your documents - we need your birth certificate…” Rey’s voice trailed off at the look in her man’s eyes. There was a desire burning in their depths, and a _possessiveness_ that had heat curling in the pit of her stomach.

“I got all my documents with me, I carry ‘em wherever I go since I’m all over the place. Ya… we ain’t got rings or nothin’, though. I… I wanted to do it all proper like, ya see. On bended knee, makin’ some romantic gesture.” Clyde sighed, running his free hand through his hair before giving her the half smile that drove her crazy. “Rey, ya make me the happiest man on earth every time ya look at me, and I swear I hear angels singin’ every time ya say my name. I can’t imagine ever wantin’ any one else by my side… would ya do me the honor of marryin’ me?” Clyde brought her hand to his lips, kissing the soft skin there as he watched her face.

Rey couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes as Clyde spoke. Sure, it wasn’t a romantic gesture, but it was perfect, because it was being said by the man she loved.

“Yes, I will,” Rey smiled at him.

“Ya just made me the happiest I ever been,” Clyde replied, feeling tears come to his eyes. He sniffled once before swiping his free hand over his eyes, willing himself not to cry in public. The beautiful, intelligent, funny woman with him wanted to marry him.

Him. Clyde Logan from Boone County, West Virginia.

Rey squeezed his hand, her own eyes filling with tears as well. She loved this man, and in a few days, she would be Mrs. Clyde Logan. She couldn’t wait.

….

The next day found them at City Hall, waiting in line nervously to register for their marriage license. As they stepped forward when their number was called, Rey looked at Clyde and smiled, and he returned her smile.

There was a nervousness about them as they filled out the forms to obtain their marriage license, and once they had the paperwork in hand, they set out once more, determined to find an officiant willing to marry them in front of the falls the following night, as the fireworks lit up the night sky above them.

Clyde wanted it to be perfect for Rey. You only got married once - or that’s the way it was _supposed_ to be, anyways - and the thought of marrying his love in front of Niagara Falls, with fireworks bursting above them and lighting up her eyes as they said their vows, well, that made him happier than he had ever been before.

Luck, as it seemed, was on their side.

As they made the arrangements with their officiant, Clyde swore he’d never seen a smile so bright as the one his fiance wore on her beautiful face. As they walked back to their hotel room that afternoon, marriage license tucked securely away for the next evenings nuptials, Clyde wasn’t sure if he was walking or floating on air. He _loved_ this woman, and she was going to be his wife.

To have and to hold - til death do they part. And then, Clyde thought, even beyond death. He would never love another woman but Rey.

“So,” his wife to be said as they entered their room, “I guess I have to book a different room for tonight?”

Clyde’s eyes were huge as Rey looked at him, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. “I guess we aren’t doing this the normal way, are we? The groom is not supposed to see the bride the night before the wedding.”

“There ain’t no way yer leavin’ my sight, darlin’.” Clyde remarked, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her soundly. 

“I know, which is why I took care of ordering my wedding dress and your suit earlier, they should be delivered at any moment.” Rey grinned at Clyde before capturing his lips again in a kiss.

“We’re really doin’ this.” Clyde said, his lips still against hers.

“We’re really doing this,” Rey replied, burying her hands in his hair and kissing him breathless. Finally, she pulled away, her hand cupping his cheek as she looked into his eyes. “I’ve never gotten to do what I wanted. Everything has always been chosen for me. I got to go to Cornell - that was my first act of defiance. But I want to marry you more than I have ever wanted anything - so it’s happening. I don’t care what my family thinks.”

A knock on the door had Clyde making his way to it cautiously, motioning for Rey to stay behind him as he did so. He peeked through the peephole before stepping to one side of the door before opening it a crack to peer out at the harried looking delivery person, who was toting several garment bags in their arms.

“Clear,” Clyde muttered as he stepped in front of the door, opening it wider to admit the courier. The man glanced at him, gulping nervously as Rey rushed forward to take the garment bags from him.

With a thank you and a generous tip, they found themselves alone once more, a huge smile on Rey’s face. “I’m going to try this on… can you go get us something to eat while I do? You can’t see me in this until tomorrow!”

“I can’t leave ya unprotected like that, darlin’. Ya know that.” Clyde looked at Rey, almost horrified. If he left and something happened to her - he’d never be able to forgive himself. 

“Clyde… we’ve been out in public the last two days, sweetheart. No one followed us. I know you need to do your job - but giving me fifteen or twenty minutes alone to try a dress on will be fine. I’ll be fine. Go get us some food, and when you come back we’ll have to make sure your suit fits, and then I have plans for us and that big old tub tonight.” Rey winked at Clyde, and he could only smile in return.

“Well, in that case… whatcha want me to grab to eat… since I’ll be getting my dessert later, it seems…”

….

Her dress was stunning, and Rey was certain Clyde was going to lose his mind when he saw her in it. His suit fit perfectly, and seeing him dressed up always made her mouth run dry with desire. Her man was nothing short of sexy no matter what he wore - but seeing him in a suit was another thing altogether.

As they lay together in bed after a very long bath, which had involved them pleasuring each other in many delicious ways, Rey looked up at him before pressing a kiss to his chest.

“Last night as a single man - you sure you don’t want to go out? I saw a strip club nearby. You sure you don’t want to buy a few lapdances and drinks?” Rey grinned, knowing Clyde well enough to know that he would never set foot in a strip club - not since his Army days, anyways.

Clyde snorted. “Ya know me better’n that. Why would I even wanna look at another woman when I got the sexiest woman alive in my bed?” Clyde winked at her, and Rey giggled.

….

When they woke the next morning and made love languidly, it was with the understanding that their lives would be changed forever that night - and as Rey covered herself with a sheet so Clyde could answer the door for the room service they had ordered, Rey sighed deeply as he returned to their bed.

“What’s eatin’ at ya, darlin’?” Clyde asked as he filled a tray with their breakfast before bringing one to Rey.

“I’m nervous, and also a bit scared. What if you decide in a year that you may not want me anymore?” Rey looked at Clyde as she popped a grape into her mouth, and he watched her lips, mesmerized for a moment.

“Well, it’s good ta be nervous n all, it’s yer wedding day n all. But, ya see, ain’t no reason ta be scared, cuz I ain’t never gonna _not_ want ya. Ya woke my heart up, Rey.”

Tears pooled in Rey’s eyes as she leaned over, giving her husband to be a very loving kiss on the lips. “Thanks… I’m sure it seems silly to worry… I just want to be everything you deserve in a wife, because you’re incredible.”

“Nah, ain’t silly a’tall. I wonder if ya are still gonna love me in ten years when I got a beer gut and my knees done give out.” Clyde grinned at her, and Rey smacked his shoulder playfully.

“I’m going to love you forever, Mr. Logan. I don’t care if you go bald and both your knees go bad. You’re going to make the best husband and father ever.” Rey smiled and went back to eating her breakfast, and Clyde couldn’t take his eyes off her the rest of the day as they took in the sights of the bustling tourist city, finally heading back to the hotel after dinner to get ready for their wedding ceremony.

….

Rey gasped as she looked in the full length mirror at her dress. She knew Clyde would tell her she looked beautiful no matter what - but this was her wedding day - and she’d never get to do it again. She wanted to be perfect to give him her vows, to bind herself to him for eternity.

She had sent him to the spot their ceremony would be held after he had dressed. He was nervous, she could tell, pacing the room and running his hand through his hair. He was absolutely adorable when he was nervous, and Rey wondered idly what he would be like when they started a family and she went into labor. Would he pace the room, growling at everyone who even looked at her? She would almost bet money he would.

As she put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, Rey let out a long breath as she observed herself one last time before wrapping the white shawl around her shoulders and heading out. As the door to the hotel room closed behind her, she realized it would be the last time she would leave it as a single woman. Instead of being nervous, she only felt happiness, a sense of peace and belonging she hadn’t experienced before.

Clyde was pacing as he waited for Rey to make her appearance. The spot they had picked to exchange their vows was gorgeous - a small copse of trees with a perfect view of Niagara Falls as their backdrop. Their officiant stood in front of him, a wistful smile on his face as he waited with Clyde.

_What if she changed her mind? What if she ain’t showin’ up? I ain’t no prize, for sure. Not for someone like her._

Clyde’s thoughts were whirling through his mind as he paced, and only the officiant clearing his throat made him stop, and as he turned and saw his bride to be approaching, wearing a beautiful white dress, Clyde thought he stopped breathing for a few moments as he simply watched her with wide eyes.

_I’m marryin’ an angel. Ain’t no other way to explain it._

Rey smiled at Clyde as she walked towards him, tears already forming in her eyes. She was amazed at the love they shared between them, and the fact that he wanted to share his life with her never ceased to amaze her. 

He was incredible, and as his eyes met hers, she could see the raw emotion in them, unshed tears mixing with joy and love. It was indescribable, what they had built together. She finally came to stand beside him, and as the officiant had them turn towards the other and grasp hands, Rey’s eyes met his, and everything else in the world fell away but him.

When the officiant cleared his throat, both of them looked at him, laughing when they both realized they had been so lost in the other’s eyes that they hadn’t heard a word he said.

The man simply smiled and said, “I know you indicated you don’t have rings, but do you have vows you’d like to give each other?”

“I do,” said Clyde softly as he looked back into her eyes, both his hands squeezing hers. “Rey, your voice is like the sweetest music I’ve ever heard. When ya look at me, I think my heart stops beatin’ in my chest, because surely I ain’t deservin’ of havin’ an angel lookin’ back at me. We been through some things together already, but I think it just makes us stronger. Ya see, together we can do anythin’. I feel like the luckiest man in the world because ya wanna be mine, and Rey, darlin’, I promise to protect ya no matter the cost. I will always love ya, and I wanna walk through this life with ya by my side. I won’t ever lie ta ya, or deceive ya. I’ll never shut ya out, or make ya think ya don’t matter, because ya do. Ya matter more to me than anythin’. I… I love ya, darlin’. Forever.”

Rey felt a tear slip onto her cheek as she gave Clyde a smile, squeezing his hands gently and taking a deep breath before speaking. “I’ve never felt safe in my life, despite my station. I’ve never felt completely cared for, completely safe knowing the person I was with had my back no matter what. I do with you, though. I promise to always be by your side, Clyde, no matter what. I promise to love and cherish you the rest of my days. You’re my best friend, my lover, my confidant, my partner. That will never change. I love you. Forever.”

They both turned their gazes towards the officiant, who smiled and stated, “By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Clyde pulled Rey into his arms, kissing her as the first burst of fireworks exploded in the skies over Niagara Falls, illuminating them in vibrant purples and greens as their lips met for the first time as husband and wife.

….

Rey let out a giggle as her _husband_ growled in frustration, his fingers fumbling with the delicate buttons at the back of her dress. If she made him wait much longer, he would probably rip it off her - and she had plans for this dress. She had decided that it would be their daughter’s wedding dress some day, and as soon as she had it laundered and dry cleaned, she would put it away for future use.

“Careful, husband… let me help,” Rey admonished Clyde as yet another growl left his throat.

“Why did they make it so damn hard ta getcha outta this thing?” Clyde complained as Rey set to work, reaching behind herself to unbutton the dress. He wanted his _wife_ naked, and clearly the person who had designed her wedding dress had a sense of humor, because they had put about a million buttons on the damn thing. He eyed her hungrily as she worked, and when she had unbuttoned enough of them to start sliding the fabric off her shoulders, he pounced, his lips attacking her exposed skin with relish, plying it with kisses and playful nips.

“Yer my wife… how in the hell did I get so damn lucky?” Clyde slid his hands over her breasts, pinching her nipples gently between two fingers, drawing a hiss from her.

“I could ask the same thing,” Rey said as she undid the last of the buttons, the white silk pooling on the floor around her feet. “I have no clue how I got so lucky. _Husband_.” Rey turned, her arms going around his neck as she crushed her lips to his. Her tongue ran along the seam of his lips, and their tongues tangled lazily as he opened his mouth to her hungrily.

Pulling away, Rey smiled at him before letting out a growl of her own. “You have too many clothes on. Take them off.” Stepping to the bed, Rey sat on the edge, watching her husband with eyes burning with want and need as he stripped off the suit and tie, finally coming to stand before her, his need apparent as Rey looked at his thickness, reaching up with one hand to wrap her fingers around his length. “You take such good care of me… let me take care of you.”

Clyde shuddered at the feel of his wife’s hand on him, working his length. His hips bucked involuntarily, his eyes never leaving hers. “Rey… darlin’... I need ta be inside ya, sweetheart.”

“Anything for you, my husband,” Rey said as she stood, ridding herself of her underclothes so that she stood naked before him. “I’m yours. Forever.”

Clyde let out a low growl as he laid her back on the bed, covering her body with his, his lips meeting hers as he sank inside her. Once he was fully sheathed, her slick walls closing around his length deliciously, Clyde started to move, setting a slow, sensual pace for their first time together as man and wife. Their lovemaking was sweeter, it seemed, as they whispered words of love to each other as they moved together, finally cresting the waves of their orgasm together.

It was beautiful, the way they seemed to fit together in every aspect of their lives so far. As Rey drifted off to sleep in his arms, Clyde kissed her cheek softly, thinking about how maybe soulmates were a reality, and how glad he was he’d found his.

  
Returning home was inevitable. Rey knew this, but it didn’t make it any easier.

In fact, her panic raised tenfold, starting up her nightmares all over again. Some were easy enough to control, but the one on the return flight had her fighting her man while they slept together.

The truths she spewed at her mother hadn’t been accepted. Elizabeth would find any way to silence her and move on with her plans… but Rey, she couldn’t allow it any longer. Putting her foot down across the pond only rumbled around her like thunder. The storm was coming, and Rey believed her mother was simply unprepared.

Their night moved quickly, far too quickly, and her heart was already breaking knowing that they wouldn’t have the same freedoms they did while they were away. Her man stayed strong and true, right by her side throughout the remainder of their travel all the way back to her home in London. No one knew. No one could know, and yet she wanted to spit it back in their faces that she was in love with Clyde and was his _wife_, so that they could run off together and forget this world and all of her responsibilities entirely.

By now she had a repertoire of safe places she could revert back to in her mind, the boat, the winter light festival, Niagara Falls, and well, all of the places the pair made love, but best of all Clyde’s presence made her feel uniquely calm. He had this way about him, the looks he shared that spoke to her in ways no one could. Clyde could tell her to breathe with a slow nod or relax with a heavy stare, and Rey found herself responding to his every unspoken word which brought her back to the present.

Rey’s hand lifted to knock on the door instead of open it, the message was not lost on her or her mother who opened it to her. Her fist still high in the air came down slowly, which in turn prompted Rey to shuffle her feet and shrug her shoulders before readying herself for an explanation. None came to her lips. None that she wanted to share. Rey had written this place off, not wanting to call this toxic place home any longer, her subconscious seemed to already have done it for her.

Elizabeth stood strong and true in the doorway, making sure that Rey would not be able to make it in.

“So, you can show up for Christmas, but not for your own engagement party?” she ground out loud enough to call all the trashy reporters hovering outside the complex to the scene.

“It’s Christmas Eve, and yes Mother, because Christmas has a meaning - and Stephen means nothing to me,” Rey answered.

The sun had just broke on the horizon, bright and blinding before being swallowed up by the low hanging clouds. Elizabeth’s stare would have been enough to make her bend before Clyde came into her life, but now, it had no effect, or at least that’s what Rey wanted her mother to believe. Inside, she battled with that scared little girl. The one that was always looking to please everyone… even when it came down to destroying herself in the process. That little one clashed with the grown woman she’d become, her mind open, her heart set free, Rey grew, believing that she could handle this and it certainly began a war inside.

“Am I not welcome here now that it’s out?” Rey pressed, completely fine with turning heel to leave this place.

“And why would you not be welcomed, I wonder?” her mother tutted. 

“Because I don’t agree with you, for starters?” Rey’s eyes pierced her mothers, holding her in place. That was it. That was why. Rey was pressing back, and mom didn’t like it. 

She expected to use their offspring as they saw fit, but why? What was it Rey did that was so bad that her own mother was ready to send her off to marry some narcissistic wealthy bastard? 

At her mother’s silence, Rey continued, “You realize by not letting me in, you and your dirty laundry could be exposed to the paparazzi?” Rey shook her head, remembering what it was her mother had to say about them, how desperate they were to smear someone’s name through the dirt. “I could air my grievances out with those lined in your bushes, but I thought you were a woman that desired respect. Is it not?”

Rey could nearly hear Clyde swallow alongside her, and the thought of actually doing what she proposed had her ready to apologize when her father met her mother at the door. 

“Oh, Rey! Are you just getting in? Why don’t you come in? It’s freezing out,” he said, lifting Elizabeth from her predatory stance guarding Rey from accessing the door. “Come now Elizabeth, you’re letting all of the heat out.”

Reluctantly, Elizabeth backed up, allowing Rey in with Clyde close behind her. She could feel his unease. What should be a time of celebration with family and friends won’t be, and she knows it. 

“You look well, sweetheart,” Nigel noticed. “How were finals?”

“Thanks, Dad. They went well. I’m just waiting on two more grades to be posted.”

“Seems strange that it would take that long for them to post, though.”

“It’s fine, really. The ones that mattered as prerequisites were posted, so I’m cleared for next semester.”

“Excellent,” her father replied, rounding the corner to her room. The man looked over his shoulder down the hall before speaking. “I heard about the threat, and despite everything, Rey, you look almost unaffected. Your mother hasn’t been right since. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you - but it’s Christmas Eve, please, please put your differences aside for this at least?”

“Father, I didn’t start this fight, neither of you can hear me. I can’t keep this up. I don’t love…”

“Stephen, it’s so lovely to see you,” her mother’s voice sung through the hallway.

“...Stephen?” Rey’s eyes went wide, grabbing Clyde’s wrist and rushing into her room. 

“Rey?” Her father attempted to follow her, the click of her lock had been faint, but Nigel heard it loud and clear. “Unlock your door and speak to me,” he said evenly. 

“I’d rather not.”

“And why’s that?”

“You aren’t listening? What difference does it make if I speak up or stay silent? You’re banking on it, aren’t you?”

“Banking on what? Rey, you need to tell me what’s the matter. Don’t you remember when you first got into aiding me? Long ago? Far before the attacks on our family started happening?”

“Yes,” she whispered behind the door. 

“Do you remember how long it took you to really stand your ground?”

“Yes,” she cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter though, you’ve silenced me before. So many times before.”

“Rey, you really don’t know your power, do you? You aren’t just my daughter, your position is right under my wing. It makes your word just as important as mine, and with lives - war - on the line… you need to hold your tongue in certain circumstances. You need the patience, a plan before you strike. Our meetings aren’t a place for you to run your mouth about battle tactics. If any of that had been leaked, you could have given the First Order a foothold, Rey.”

“You were listening,” Rey sniffles, preparing to open the door, only to see Stephen round the corner as she peaked out. Her brow knit together, and she added that she’d need a moment to get herself together before brunch. 

“I was, and all is well. We’ll see you in about an hour?” Nigel asked, not thinking twice about Clyde’s location. Their guards, including Earl, had been known to be in their rooms while abroad. 

“Yes, that’s fine. An hour,” she repeated. 

Despite being in her man’s presence, her hour passed with the weight of her father’s words still humming around her mind. If she really was as powerful as he said, why do they make her feel like she’s no one? Why do they control every last pillar of her personality? Why? Why can’t she speak to her mother without a fight? Rey wondered when the other shoe would drop, or if she had to kick it off herself. 

At brunch she sat in silence across from Stephen at their family table, doing her very best to ignore the intruder. Rey did her best to steel herself from making faces at him in order for the meal to go smoothly, and perhaps leave to do anything but stay in his presence. 

The more Rey ignored Stephen, the more her mother talked to him, about him, posing questions to the two about what specifically happened to her engagement band - which reignited the fire in her belly. It was somewhere in the boat at home in Ithaca. Her anger made her throw the cold metal somewhere within it, when she would have been far happier to throw it in the lake. At least there it would be truly lost, instead of a piece of a nightmare lurking in one of her most treasured places. 

“Ah, I was wondering about that, too. Is it too heavy for you? You’ll certainly have to get used to it being mine,” he challenged her, a twinkle of a secret gleaming in his eye. 

Rey had seen that look before. Knew it by heart. He was up to something… but she would certainly pay first. For what? Dumping his ring? That was hardly a reason, and for him, most likely his go to, which brought her back to the women she’d seen him with. She wondered if any of them wore the same jewelry he claimed her with, shivering at the thought of anyone ever being interested in that sort of abuse for the items that went along with it. Did - do they? 

Briefly she could think of a brunette and a… well, actually, Bazine, she remembered, wore the very same ring. Was it a coincidence? Was it hers? 

“It’s not too heavy for me,” Rey bit back. “I simply don’t want it.” She hadn’t been able to eat, let alone reach for even a few grapes from the fruit platter between them while she shared the space in their home with this vile creature. Rey could feel bile rising in her stomach, a lasting symptom her anxiety could create, causing her to push herself from the table. 

Stephen chuckled, similarly as he did when he challenged Clyde at home in Ithaca, reinforming her that it’s not her choice. “What you deserve is my choice to make. Now, put it back on.”

Rey didn’t have to look behind Stephen’s head to know Clyde was ready to remove her from the situation. All it would take was a flick of her eyes to his to start the whirlwind, but it was time, even though her father asked her for a peaceful holiday. Rey was done giving in, especially if no one around the table had no concept about what they were allowing. They surely wouldn’t push her brother or sister to do the same, she knew that. She was done, though. Done with accepting this life, done with people taking advantage of her, telling her what to do, just done with it all. 

“No,” Rey spat back. “I don’t want you marking me. I’m not yours. I’m not a property you can buy,” she barked at Stephen, then turned to look between her mother and father, falling back on her mother’s icy glare. “I’m not yours to sell either. Whatever the deal is, it’s off. I won’t be a part of this. I don’t want him or his abuse.” 

Her father shot Stephen a hard look, nearly drilling the boy for information. 

“Clearly she’s lying. I would never lay a hand upon your daughter unless it had been wanted, I can assure you,” Stephen promised. 

Rey knew the mark from his bite had healed, mostly thanks to Clyde’s love and care. She could still feel how tender he’d been with her, nearly enough to erase the anger of Stephen’s bite. No matter how hard she focused on it, Clyde was all she could feel. 

“I am not lying! You held me down against my will, covered my face and bit me—“ Rey paused at the sound of doors opening and staff coming through, her mother rose to her feet quickly, reaching for her as though she’d been possessed. Another body followed, which very well could have been Stephen - but seconds she surely had missed tossed the man from her. Clyde’s massive form curved around her body, shielding her from her family’s wrath. 

Rey continued to spit truths about her life, shielded by her husband, strengthened by his love. 

“You’ll have to kill me and marry my corpse to get me, Stephen. I don't want you. I never have and I never will.”

“Let go of her!” Rey’s mother howled, but Clyde stood his ground. “I hired you, you work for me!”

“Earl and his team work for me!” Nigel roared, halting everyone around the table. Clyde, however, kept Rey pressed firmly against his body, caging her in with his strong arms. 

Only the sounds of her brother and sister whispering between each other could be heard beside Clyde’s rapidly beating heart. 

“Since neither of you can figure out that it’s Christmas Eve, my wife included, I suppose we’ll just hash this out now then, eh?”

“Daddy?” Rey hears her sister’s small voice pick up behind her. 

Nigel sighed, then looked at her, “ What, sweetheart?”

“Can we go eat in the kitchen instead?” 

He paused just long enough to make Rey wonder if he suffered the same anxiety she did - where she felt overloaded and couldn’t remember how to speak, or sometimes think before finally allowing the kids to eat elsewhere. He then confirmed her theory. 

“Thanks to the three of you, I couldn’t remember what the kitchen was,” he stated, pinching his brow. “Now, we’re going to hash this out…” he tilted his head painfully to the left, cracking one side of his neck and then the other before starting again, “and then remember why it is we’re here, and try _celebrating with family and friends_ instead of ripping each other apart. Do I make myself clear?”

Rey rolled her eyes at her mother’s sigh, as if she wasn’t the reason they were all put in this position in the first place. The feel of Clyde’s arms dropping beside her made her brace herself, even though she knew he’d never let her get hurt. Her mother was edgy, and Stephen was the oddity, especially this early in the morning. 

Why was he here anyway, she wondered. He didn’t celebrate by choice, disagreeing with all she stood for in one measly sentence, “There’s no reason to care for others when they can’t themselves, regardless the made up holiday.” It had been the start of his downfall, with her at least. It certainly changed things immediately, helping her see the monster crawling beneath his skin. 

“Yes father,” she replied, the only of the three of them to do so. 

“Now, someone tell me what’s going on here.”

Food grew cold around them, and coffee had been served not once, but for the third time while Nigel listened, argued and threatened the group as if they were a band of newbie terrorists. Their arguments grew louder between mother and daughter while they hashed out the real underlying issues plaguing their relationship. 

“I don’t understand,” Rey choked on her tears. “You say all of these things, that family is important, and yet you’re here throwing me away. Fighting with your own flesh and blood. Shoving me off into anyone else’s custody. Anyone! Do you even know what you’re doing to me? Do you even care?”

“Of course we do,” her mother broke. 

“And I do too,” Stephen followed, outstretching his hand towards her across the table. 

Rey’s gaze hardened, knowing it’s an act, but her mother doesn’t. 

“You do not,” she replied. “You had all this time to show you cared. One argument isn’t going to magically change your mind, Stephen. Fool them if you like, but you can’t with me. I know your tricks,” she shakes her head again, her eyes cast down to the floor. “Besides, there is another.”

Stephen had kept his cool in front of her parents, working his jaw in a way she knew was his way of holding back. 

“Another what?” Nigel asked, leaning forward on the table, waiting for clarification. 

“Another man,” her mother spit out. 

“And you knew this, Elizabeth?” Nigel straightened. “And you had the party anyway?”

“What was I supposed to do? She was acting like a lunatic over the phone. The best I could do was assume she was over stressed and making things up just to get off the phone.”

“So you threw an expensive party to stay right?”

Elizabeth nodded, but was pushed to speak.

“Yes, Stephen didn’t deserve that. So we had it anyway, even though she didn’t attend.”

Nigel sighed painfully, then looked over to Clyde, who, while he had schooled his face to keep himself neutral, looked anything but to Rey. 

“And you knew she was dating?”

“Yes sir,” Clyde assured him. “He’s been thoroughly vetted, sir..”

Nigel frowned, then lifted his face to speak again, “I’ll need whatever you have on this man in my hands as soon as you’re free, _after holiday._” 

“Yes sir.”

He looked back at the table, scanning their faces before adding, “All of you are going to figure out how to get along, if not for the sake of me and my rules, maybe that of the children you’ve scared off!” he shouted. His echo rings through the room, resting on Rey’s ears the heaviest. 

“Yes, father,” she says, as if to end it all.

. . . 

Clyde couldn’t wait to get Rey alone. What she did - what she said in there made him want to scoop her up and run away with her. She’d grown so much in the time he’d known her. For as much as he wanted to say there was no time, she flicked her eyes up to see him and quickly moved away from the table. 

Stephen rose to move with her, but Clyde had made it to Rey’s side first, as he always had, cradling her back gently with his fingers. Anymore of a touch and he was sure he’d be leaning in for far more than protection. 

Not here, he reminded himself. 

On their way out and back to her room she stayed silent - which killed him inside. He knew his girl. She needed something, but he’d never seen her so wound up before. 

“Rey?” Stephen’s voice carried down the corridor.

Clyde didn’t stop the low growl that rumbled in his throat when he turned back to see that weasel jogging through their home to get to her. Forming a wall of himself, Clyde took a stance to protect her from this creep, puffing out his chest and raising to his full height, he intimidated Stephen only briefly. 

“Careful, guard. Wouldn’t want to be removed from this pretty little number, would we?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clyde bit out.

“It means he’s scared of you, and will lie to the right people to get you out,” Rey stood square, ready to take on this threat. 

“I’m not scared of your hick—“ he started, shouldering his way past Clyde, only making it a half step closer to her. 

“You should be,” Rey interrupted. “But for as much as you should fear him, you should fear me, too.” 

A wicked grin spread across Stephen’s face, pressing his finger to his ear to reveal a small recording device to hear it one more time. “Careful what you say, my pet. In but a snap of my fingers your threats can go viral.”

“If you so much as think about it, Stephen, I will out you for the lying sack of shit you are,” Rey’s hand flew to her face to block his slap before it cracked her on soft cheek, something she hadn’t been able to do before. 

Clyde was between them again, now with his hands on Stephen, guiding him down the hallway, rounding the corner into Elizabeth and Nigel as they approached. 

“What’s going on here?!” Elizabeth whisper yelled at the men in question. 

It had been a strange question, but then again, the woman was the weirdest he knew. 

“Stephen,” Clyde paused for effect, his name rattled around his ears like the mother of all curses, “is leavin’, or I will have to extract her.”

“You will do nothing of the sort,” Stephen hissed.

“Ya already outstayed yer welcome, n hittin’ yer woman, ‘er any woman fer that matter, isn’t allowed here, ya see. Ya best be gettin’ home ta get the right teachin’ ya deserve,” Clyde said with a firm hold on Stephen’s wrists, pushing right past her parents. He made it one more step, having to wrestle the weasel to the door. 

“Mr. Logan,” Nigel said evenly. “While I respect your dedication to my daughter, I can’t have you removing Stephen in such a way,” he waved his hand over the two of them struggling against each other. “He will need to straighten up and leave on his own.”

Stephen grinned and looked past Clyde, as if he was offered to extend his stay. 

“Go on, Stephen,” he said, stilling the boy. “I won’t have you ruining our holiday anymore. Please don’t return until _after_ you’ve figured yourself out,” Nigel pressed, “_even_ if you’re invited by my wife.”

Stephen straightened up, knowing to hold his tongue, but certainly not his scowl before reluctantly wishing them a happy holiday, instead of Merry Christmas. His tone was heavy, dreadful even to Clyde, who had known furious people in his day, however, not quite as sadistic as Stephen had been. It was almost as if there was something more there, a half truth in all of this, her family trying nearly too desperately to wash their hands clean of their pasts, no doubt… but using Rey wasn’t the answer. No, Clyde would never allow the trade of his lover to end any battle - familial or otherwise. 

The moment the monster had stepped out the door, Clyde stalked off in the direction of Rey’s room, knowing he’d been away from her for far too long. 

“Check in. Earl?” 

Clyde’s foot falls had him hustling back to her, one long stride at a time.   
  
He heard Nigel’s voice cut through his concern, “Earl is with her,” he tapped his ear, revealing a radio bud. Clyde’s brow furrowed when his eye caught the movement over his shoulder, her father striding up to step beside him. “You know my daughter very well now, Clyde.”

“I do, sir,” Clyde nodded, wondering where this was going. 

“I need you to help me get to the bottom of this. Stephen and his family have been important to us and our mission for generations. This matchmaking system hadn’t been brought on by Elizabeth or myself, but chosen based on the families to make sure peace could be attainable,” Nigel began to explain. “You see, what she’s being expected to do isn’t traditional in the least. But even Elizabeth and I married for the love of our country, not necessarily the love for one another,” Nigel pressed his lips together, trying his best not to really speak about the specifics. “Rey, she claims a lot of things. I need to know how many are true, and what we can do about them, Clyde. I can’t have her going into this arrangement feeling unsafe.”

“Sir?” It was the only word Clyde could think to ask in the moment. He didn’t want to hear how they would still press her into this relationship, when she most clearly explained that she could never love someone as selfish as Stephen, and furthermore that she loved someone else, namingly, himself… but he could never tell. He could never tell them that their daughter was already his, and that they had exchanged their binding vows to each other only the day before. Not that he didn’t want to, of course. Keeping quiet about being the man she’d been raving about had been difficult. It was equally hard not to take her hand or openly kiss her because of it. 

“Hmm?” Nigel turned to him, settling himself at Rey’s door. 

“Ya aren’t still gonna give her up to that man, are ya?”

“Stephen has some growing up to do. That, I’m aware of. What I need to know of from Rey is just what has been going on behind closed doors, and what she thinks she knows about him, period. There’s not much else I can do until I have all the facts,” he sighed, raising his fist to knock on the door. 

Her father, like Rose, only knocks once, but softly. He knows where she is, his face neutral but careful in switching his tone when asking for her. 

“Stephen is gone, love. Left on his own. Clyde is here,” he breathed when the door handle turned. 

“Really?” Rey looked at him skeptically. Gone was the nice little woman Clyde had known this whole time. She was now stacked with the fury of her release, quite obviously allowing the argument she’d beat out of her linger for far too long. “I highly doubt that, Father. I wouldn’t dare believe that awful man is gone. Not yet. He lurks like the plague, killing everything you love, including your daughter--”

“Rey, that’s enough now. He isn’t coming back. Not now at least,” he assured her, but Rey’d heard this all before. Instead she looked to him, searching Clyde eyes, looking deep within his soul for the wordless reassurance. 

Once it had been given, Rey’s frown deepened. She swallowed, then uttered a thank you so small he was sure her father missed it, but he didn’t. 

“Rey,” he crooned, offering his daughter a hug. Nigel opened his arms a fraction of an inch wider than her frame before pulling her in. “I want to help, but you know it isn’t in our control.”

“You’re the Prime Minister,” she shakes her head, doing the best they can not to cry. “You can do something about it. You can change it. You can disagree. You don’t have to follow their code of conduct. _We’re our own country_…”

“I’ve just been having this very same conversation with Mr. Logan. We will get to the bottom of this, but before we do, we need your help.”

“_My help? No one wants to listen to me_. I’ve been looking for help this whole time!” Rey said, pushing back from her father and eyeing her somewhat nervous looking man, “With the exception of Clyde here, I - I would still be a victim to him… Stephen, I mean.”

“Victim? That’s a harsh word for--”

“Harsh? HARSH! You really are living under a rock in terms of this duty you’ve so easily bestowed upon me! Stephen is an abuser. He’s everything I’ve said and more, never once loyal, not to me and most certainly not to you, this family or his country. This whole thing needs to fall through,” she shakes her head vehemently. “I want no part of it. It - It will start a war, I’m sure of it.”

Nigel pressed his lips together in a firm line, trying to assess his daughter when Clyde’s deep voice cut his silence. 

“Excuse me sir, but Miss Rey here had nearly been assaulted in yer own home. I’ve seen a lot - plenty a behaviors in my day, n a man ready to strike a female, well, that’s no man at all.” Clyde swayed a little, his eyes flicking down to hers before he added, “Ya can’t expect him to go on n turn face in a day er two. None to many can even see where they’ve gone wrong, ya see.” 

The more he spoke, the more his face flamed in response. 

“Well, what are you proposing, Miner?” Earl’s voice rang out from the corner of Rey’s room. The man stood from where he’d been watching this unfold, squaring off his shoulders before meeting the group by the door. 

“I think she, Miss Rey, should try to walk us through the physical threats he’d been makin’, and offer her defense training at the very least.” 

“And what do you think that would do?”

“Educate you,” Rey said, her voice soft and pleading. “And me… It will essentially give me the peace I deserve.”

Nigel nodded, allowing his daughter to start showing the two of them to see what she’d been living with, while Earl excused himself to rejoin the family, claiming the perimeter needed checking. As per her father’s direction, Rey simulated holds on Clyde that her father cringed at, even when done gently to a man at least twice her size. Clyde himself, well, since he was already ready to destroy Stephen, promised himself if the chance ever arose to take him out, he would. The love of his life wouldn’t ever have to live in fear again – at least the fear that Stephen provided. Whatever was left after that, they could face together, head on. Be the face of change. Be free. 

It’s the sound of her voice that calls to him next, “He’s marked me before. Several instances, enough to leave thin scars, but the most frightening was after homecoming, and the whole sham of an engagement…” she trailed off, while her father looked for marks for that too. “Clyde helped me take care of it, I - it’s gone, but my fear is still there. I thought - I thought he might take me that night,” she managed, tears now staining her cheeks. 

“I don’t know what to say, Rey. I’m sorry - truly I am.” Nigel couldn’t help but pace around the room after that, a frown deep on his face as he mulled over these new details. “If,” he started to speak again after a long while. “If you want to start training with Clyde for self defense, Rey… if that makes you feel like you can stand up for yourself… then I can’t see why not in terms of training. If it helps control your nightmares, you’re better for it, but I don’t see needing to use it anytime soon, given your guard was right there for you.” 

“He was,” Rey agreed, her hand slipping off the column of his throat, softly down his chest before dropping at her side as if it held tons of weight there. “Clyde’s always there.”

Her father hummed his approval before offering the invitation for the two to rejoin them in the den to enjoy the remainder of Christmas Eve together. 

“We will, soon, father. If it’s alright, I’d like to read a little to get my mind off of things…”

“That’s fine, dear. Just don’t hole yourself up in here all day,” he said, planting a kiss on Rey’s cheek, then leaving her to calm down in a place she could barely call home. 

. . . 

Just as requested, the moment Rey could get her wits about her, pushing Stephen and the events of their argument to the side for now, the two emerged from her room and joined the rest of the family in the den. Several times she’d tried to look her mother’s way after catching up with her brother and sister, or helping add the family ornaments they’d set aside for her to adorn the tree with only to find a handful of places to fill. 

It hurt a little, but the ones that she was in were group pictures they couldn’t exactly erase her from. The ones she held were things she’d made years ago when she was a kid. Ornaments like her little hand print, or the hundreds of beaded wreaths she made back then were sorted through to stash just about anywhere until she came across one she made to look like a book. It was bright pink, unlike the seasonal colors of the items before her. Rey cringed a little when she saw it, fully knowing why she’d made the book. Being a teen back then was just about as unnerving as being an adult was now. Every turn another expectation, another choice that wasn’t hers… it made her wonder if she did have a life, when it would begin. Rey knew full well it had been too small to write anything in it then, even now with her handwriting nearly perfect, the best she could do was maybe a word per page, if that. 

Rey rolls her eyes, knowing her mother was just about as disconnected as she was now back then. The thought of Clyde made her feel the need to swipe the item. It was hers, after all. 

“What are you doing?” Rey heard her mother ask, not necessarily knowing who it was she was talking to. Her mother never really knew how to address her or her siblings. The woman would just talk and expect a response from the right person, as if her conversations were the only ones that mattered. 

When Rey purposefully didn't respond, her mother cleared her throat, expecting for her daughter to turn, and again she didn't. If her mother had something to say, she could address Rey as the person she wanted to speak to. It was a hard enough task, she thought, at least while she held the item in her hand. She hadn’t yet looked for Clyde, even though she knew his eyes remained on her, briefly changing to survey the room, only to come back to her. To her, Clyde began her story. He gave her life, not just a life… he gave her the key to unlock hers, the very chance to start filling out that silly little book.

“What’s the matter? We have an argument and you ignore me on holiday?” her mother started. “Is that what it is now? Don’t want to talk to Mummy now?”

“I didn’t know you were talking to me,” Rey replied. 

“Oh? And how’s that?” 

“You didn’t say, ‘Rey’ when you asked your question.”

“Did you hear anyone else respond? They all seem to understand…”

“No, Mum. And I don’t want to fight you. It’s Christmas, and I’d really prefer to have at least a day or two to enjoy where I can just be,” Rey carefully assessed her mother, asking, “havent you ever wanted that? To just be happy?”

Those were fighting words, Rey knew the moment she said it...the world around her seemed to slow, and her mother’s brow went from her neutral look to offended all at once. 

Shit. Shit, shit, shit…

Elizabeth took a deep breath and simply agreed. Her game face now settled, she asked what makes Rey happy these days. 

It was a trap. She knew, but when else would she be able to speak semi-freely about Clyde to her parents? It was a now or never moment that she wouldn’t think twice about.

“Well, I’m dating this lovely American boy…” Rey lied. Her lovely American boy was actually a lovely American man, a very virile man she was married to now.

That stirred up her mother ten fold. Rey watched as the woman tried to control her wrinkling nose and utter distaste for those six beautiful words.

“He’s charming and thoughtful. He makes me feel like I matter,” Rey’s voice caught high in her throat, making that last word squeak as it came out. She could almost hear Clyde tell her she did and always would in his southern drawl. The thought of it made her smile. 

“Is that so?” her mother asked in a condescending way. 

“Yes,” she defends the both of them in a commanding tone. “You will not end this for me, Mum. Nothing you can do will change it. I love him,” her mother interrupted, chortling as she has. Rey’s known for a long time that is one of her go-to insults, which pressed her to continue. “I don’t need this life. I can do plenty good without you and your ranks. Cut me out of this if you have to, but don’t you dare try to take this away from me.”

Rey stood tall, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Elizabeth had nothing more to say to her past enjoying that rathole of a country. It was an obvious lure, one she didn’t want to spend anymore time on, instead, her eyes connected with her man’s darkening ones to let him know she was ready to go. This was on her terms. She wasn’t being forced out, but could feel her father’s disappointment in the two of them. 

“If this is what you need to do,” Nigel started. 

“Just let her go, she doesn’t want to be here with her family. Go run off with your--”

“Elizabeth!” Nigel roared. 

Rey wondered if they spoke before Rey reemerged, but her father, being the strategic man he was, most likely did not. It was Christmas Eve, after all. Who really wanted to have such a conversation regardless of the time of year? No one, thats who. 

Regardless how she felt, Rey held herself together, curtly nodding at her mother and hugging the rest of her family before leaving with Clyde in tow. 

. . . 

America had it right. The moment she stepped outside her door, closing it behind her, Rey felt a thousand times better. It hadn’t been until they’d gotten into their usual black SUV that they could relax a little. Clyde’s hands capturing hers steadied Rey, cementing her love for him. Not that it hadn’t been, or that there was close to a question over what she wanted at all, but Clyde, keeping to his usual care, made it right. 

“Where to now, da- Rey?” Clyde cleared his throat, asking her a little more clearly for the driver to hear. 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about your tattoo, and what you’d said about earning it. I think after that,” she nodded back at the house, “with mum and everything, that I might be ready for a change… something permanent.”

Clyde’s smile had been weary at best. 

“Ya - ya know ya can’t go back, right?” he asked. “Ya can’t erase it,” his breath sighing from his lips as he spoke. 

Rey licked her lips, then pressed them together before declaring she knew. 

“I’ve been thinking about this a while, Clyde.” She paused briefly before adding, “I know what I want.” 

Rey steadied herself, then asked their driver to make their way to Sadine’s on Fifth, then sat back for the ride. 

Clyde didn’t quite know what to think. He loved the fact that his girl was ready to jump into her own life, but also had his nerves about him. Rey going against the grain surely meant trouble and more protecting her, not that he’d have it any other way, but it did pose more of a problem. 

Sadine’s was a small detached shop that looked more like a home than a tattoo parlor. There were no neons in the front to indicate her place of business. Instead a black, iron rod railing descended under the shop down a flight of wide slate stairs. It led them to a small platform, similar to a porch or sorts, with one large panel window to the left of a heavy green door. Stenciled in white cursive was “Sadine’s Tattoo Parlor” surrounded by three brilliantly red and black poppies. 

Rey, who had been one to do her research, learned that Sadine had been in the business for far longer than many in the area, doing higher end work for a wide range of clients such as those similar to herself, musicians, artists and others who had their own sets of entourages and safety specifics. Sadine herself had been the face behind some of the most beautiful work she’d ever seen, but that wasn’t why she picked her shop specifically. This woman had been at the cutting edge of trends, offering a wide variety of modern elements - including the most intriguing to Rey, sound wave tattoos. 

When Rey learned about this she knew exactly what she wanted. It may have been simple to any onlooker, but to be branded with the marks of the only voice of which would ever soothe her made her heart race. This was it, the closest thing they could do for now besides running off and never returning, forging their life together apart from the politics of her home country. Rey knew she’d wear it proudly no matter what happened in the future, whether her family approved or not once they found out. 

Sadine herself had welcomed them in with the option of tea and wrapped offerings from multiple baskets of food that had come as thank yous over the past few days. 

“Goodness knows I can’t eat it all,” she promised, sounding much more like a member of Clyde’s family, besides the obvious differences, one being living out here in London rather than in West Virginia with the rest of their family. 

“Thank you,” the two of them replied, nearly at the same time. 

“Are ya both getting somethin’? Or are ya only here for what we discussed?” Sadine asked, clasping her hands together. 

“Well,” Rey peered up at Clyde, “I don’t know about him,” she smiled. “But I’d certainly like mine.”

Sadine smiled and called Clyde over to her, confusing the man terribly. 

“It’s okay,” Rey mouthed to him, silently giggling behind him while he bit his lip and proceeded down the hall. 

“These types of things are really special, but more people have been getting them engraved on jewelry rather than tattoos,” the older woman explained. “But I get it,” she eyed the two of them. “Forbidden love makes you do crazy things,” she sighed happily, to which Rey agreed. 

“It does.”

“Alright, son,” Sadine said, patting a chair in the smallest acoustically padded room he’d ever seen. “You’ll sit here, shoulders back, sittin’ tall,” she instructed the rest of what he was to do before letting him do his thing, adding, “my advice to you to make this real is to look at her and say the word as you would when you really mean it.”

“I mean it all the time. Every last one,” he quips, looking at her, deep into her eyes he says it in the most honest to god loving way he can. “Darlin’.”

Afterward, the light went green and the recording cleared, printing a lined design of her man’s voice, and she promised it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. 

. . . 

Rey had been a champ in more ways than one, opting out of a pain reliever and watching the whole process. Not one swear had left her lips, which was a surprise considering how many times they’d rolled off his in the process of getting his ink. He’d thought long and hard about getting his own, considering her strength and what she’d been through he had been on the fence about getting a daisy thanks to the threat sent to her phone. Those images of torn daisies ripped his heart to shreds. It was their special thing… and it was gone just like that, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought about her brazen ability to shut that side of her off. The one that got hurt in a second’s notice, the one that would stay balled up and hidden in her dungeon of thoughts, tangled in the twisted nonsense of those around her. 

When the women had finished up, Rey had cheerily looked up at her husband, showing him the inside of her wrist. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she grinned, cradling her wrist with her other hand as she showed it to him. 

Clyde could have sworn she thought it was as precious as a baby bird, or any life for that matter, there in her hands the way she’d gone on about it. The thought of something as ordinary to him as his voice being important to a girl like her made his heart beat faster. 

“I think I’d like ta get somethin’ too, if ya have time, Sadine,” Clyde said, not wanting to burden the woman. 

“I’m at your service, Clyde. Besides, my grandson won’t be here until later to collect me for their holiday feast anyway. So long as it doesn’t go past then we’ll be fine,” she replied. 

“Is it okay we try to make it a surprise?” he asked shyly. 

“Of course! Of course,” she smiled. 

Sadine worked his ink carefully into the location of which Clyde had specifically asked for it to lay, finishing well into the next hour. Once she’d completed the work, Clyde offered her a knowing smile, a way of asking that she kept his girl from paying, that this was his treat. Their doing together, but certainly something he wanted to take care of for his sweetheart. 

At her nod, she accepted the money he’d given her, keeping the change as he suggested she should for both her help and hospitality, before turning to Rey to call her over to see.

Rey’s eyes went wide and filled with tears, something he had expected for far different reasons than what had come from her lips. 

“You put me next to your…” she trailed. Next to his Ranger tattoo, the one she traced with her fingertips and kissed frequently lay a single daisy, its petals overlapping the edges of his pre-existing ink, making it look as though it had naturally been leaned up against a medal of honor. “Clyde I love it. I love you!”

She reached him, careful of his and her arms while she wrapped herself around him. 

“I love ya too, Rey. Now whatdya say we do Christmas our way?”

. . . 

Clyde had held Rey in his arms the whole flight back to the States, his fingers ghosting over the tender flesh of her wrist where she had placed a part of him she held dear - one single word that Clyde vowed he would say to her as many times a day as he could for the rest of their lives.

_Darlin’._

Such a simple word, but it was true. Rey was his darling. She was his wife, his love, his work, his future, his world. She was everything.

Clyde chuckled to himself. Perhaps he should have gotten that word inked onto his skin in honor of his girl. He wanted to give her so much more than just a tattoo on his skin - he had already given his heart to her, as well as his last name. It had been hard, even for the short time they had been in London, to hide that they were married from everyone.

Still, he had doubts that swirled through his mind when it was quiet, like it was right now at thirty thousand feet in the air over the Atlantic. What would happen when her parents did find out? His wife had plans for her life. Rey was a helper. She wanted to make the world a better place, and as the Prime Minister’s daughter, she could get a lot more done to help than if she was a simple man’s wife.

His girl was currently asleep as they flew over the Atlantic, and Clyde couldn’t help but watch her as she slept. She was exquisite, and he felt his heart swell with love as he watched her.

They’d find a way.

The fight with her mother had left Rey exhausted, and as soon as they were in the air, she snuggled up in her man’s arms, letting the safety and comfort there wash over her. The next thing she knew, Clyde was kissing her awake. It was the best way to wake up, in her opinion.

Of course, she enjoyed waking up next to him in their bed, their legs tangled together and their skin warm against the others. He would always end up inside her, both of them working towards their ecstasy together. Most times they would shower together before getting ready for the day - neither one of them being able to keep their hands or lips off the other for very long in the privacy of the sanctuary they had created together.

She blinked sleepily at Clyde, smiling at him. “Are we home?” Rey asked, and Clyde nodded.

“We’re home, darlin’.”

As they deplaned, they were met with a squeal as Mellie, Jimmy and Sadie descended on them, and Rey could only smile as her sister-in-law pulled her into a tight hug. They had decided to fly into the closest airport they could find, and as Rey reached out and twined her fingers into Clyde’s, she felt peace settle into her bones once more. They were free again, and she couldn’t wait to celebrate Christmas with her husband.

….

Clyde’s house was small, but cozy. Set back from the road, it had a small backyard that bordered on a wooded area, which ended on the banks of the Little Coal River. It was a slice of heaven, if Rey could admit it, and she was already enthralled by it.

She could see them raising a family here, in the idyllic countryside of West Virginia, far removed from the hustle and bustle of London. She could still do her work, of course, and their children would be able to travel with them. She would never leave her offspring behind - and she knew Clyde never would, either.

For the first time, Rey felt hope that the future she wanted for herself would come to pass. The life _she_ wanted to build was happening, and it was all because of the man who was currently standing on the back porch of his - _their_ \- house, a cup of coffee in his hands as he watched her walking towards the trees and river.

He was always looking out for her. Always watching. Always ready to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy. Clyde asked for so little in return from her. All he asked was that she obey him when he was acting as her guard, and that she honor the vows she had given him at their wedding ceremony. As long as she was happy, her husband was happy.

After exploring for a half hour, Rey came back inside to find her husband shoving a warm mug of tea into her hands. While it wasn’t as cold as Ithaca, the air did have a chill to it.

“I’m sorry I ain’t got any decorations up,” Clyde said as she sat on the couch to drink her tea. “I never know when I’m gonna be home. If ya like, we all tend ta get together at Jimmy or Mellie’s place ta celebrate. We’ll have a big dinner n all, n open presents. There’s a Christmas parade in town n all, we could go to that. I… I know my house ain’t what yer used to and all. We ain’t gotta live here. We can get a different house if ya want. Hell, we ain’t even gotta stay in Boone County if ya don’t want to.”

“Clyde,” Rey stood and went to her husband, setting aside the mug to wrap her arms around his neck, her eyes gazing into his. “I love this house already. I can see us raising our family here. It’s perfect. Don’t be ashamed of what you have, ever. We’ve both got more than most people have, plus we have each other. We’re so lucky.”

Clyde nodded, resting his forehead against hers as his arms pulled her closer, encircling her in his warmth. “I worry. I worry so much, darlin’. What’s gonna happen when yer folks find out what we did? How...how am I gonna support ya if they decide I can’t be yer guard any more?”

“Sweetheart, you can do so much. Don’t sell yourself short.” Rey smiled at him before kissing him softly. “I love you. So much. Merry Christmas.”

Clyde loved watching Rey move around their space. It was so natural, having her with him, and after a quiet dinner the couple loaded themselves into his car to take a leisurely drive around the county to look at all the Christmas lights on display. Clyde knew all the best places, of course, and they stopped at a small restaurant to get hot chocolate for the drive.

Rey couldn’t remember ever being so happy. As Clyde drove, her hand rested on his thigh, and her eyes were glued to the sight outside the car windows. The hills of West Virginia were beautiful as they drove from point to point, soft Christmas lights shining on each main street of the small towns. Some homes were definitely more adorned with lights than others, but Rey had always found Christmas time to be magical. This year was far more magical, because she had a new future laid out in front of her.

“I love you,” she murmured as they drove back towards their home, and Clyde looked over at her, giving her a smile. 

“I love ya, too, darlin’.”

They stopped at a small park in the middle of town, where Christmas lights adorned a large tree beside a small gazebo. Clyde went around the car, opening the passenger side door and offering Rey a hand, and she peered up at him quizzically as she took his hand and slid out of the car.

“I figure since we ain’t got a tree this year, for reasons n all, I’d give ya yer gift right here. This tree is always lit up real nice n all.” Clyde smiled at his wife, pulling a small, perfectly wrapped box out of his jacket pocket. “Next year, darlin’. Next year we’ll come home and decorate for Christmas. It’ll be perfect. This year, though… well, I got the perfect present the day ya married me.I found this, though, in Niagara Falls when we were there. I hope ya like it.”

Rey looked from the box in her hands up into Clyde’s warm brown eyes, smiling as tears came to her eyes. As she tore open the wrapping paper, snow started falling, creating the perfect backdrop for a Christmas night. Rey opened the lid on the long, white box, gasping as she took in the sight of the delicate anklet nestled within. Encrusted with flakes of emerald and moonstone, tiny daisies trailed along the anklet, and Rey couldn’t help the tears that fell from her eyes.

“It’s beautiful,Clyde. I love it.”

“Yeah?” Clyde lifted one side of his lips into his signature smirk. “I was hopin’ ya would like it. I never bought jewelry for no one before. It had to be perfect for ya, cuz ya deserve that.” He felt a flush come over his cheeks, even as he was cheering internally for making his wife happy.

“Oh, Clyde. I have you. What more can I want?” Rey ran a gloved finger over the delicate jewelry for a moment before smiling as she remembered her present for Clyde, which was nestled inside her jacket pocket as well. “I got you something, too.” Rey smiled at him, putting the lid back on her gift and depositing it carefully in her pocket before withdrawing her gift for Clyde. Thrusting it towards him, Rey chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him take it, letting out a giggle as he shook the package.

“Oh no! I married one of _those_ people! Didn’t they teach you not to shake packages in Ranger school?”

Clyde just smirked as he started to tear open the wrapping paper. “That don’t count for Christmas presents. I always shake ‘em and try ta guess what’s inside. Drove my Momma crazy for sure.” Once he had the paper off completely, he looked at the small, square white box for a moment before opening it, stilling as he saw what rested inside.

It was a gold dog tag, engraved with a sound wave, but a different one then Rey had tattooed on her wrist. Clyde was speechless for a moment as he stared at it in awe, licking his lips before asking in a low voice, “What’s it sayin’? The sound wave?”

Rey smiled and stepped forward, putting her gloved hand on his face. “It’s me, saying ‘I love you’. Turn it over.”

Clyde did as his wife bid with a slightly trembling finger, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he saw their wedding date engraved on the back of the dog tag. Swallowing thickly, his voice was thick with emotion as he finally spoke again. “Darlin’, it’s perfect. I ain’t never takin’ it off my neck once ya put it there. Thank you. For the gift, for lovin’ me, and for wantin’ to marry me. I don’t deserve none of it, but I sure am thankful.”

“Me too, Clyde. Me too.” Rey kissed him softly in the falling snow, the Christmas lights shimmering off everything and making the world perfect, at least for a night.

  
  


. . . 

The spring semester started with a bang, taking off far faster than the first two years of school. Stress doubled, being that these were major courses. Acing these would line herself up well for the master’s degree she’d been eyeing. If seeking her doctorate would mean she could stay in Ithaca and study with Clyde she’d do it. But something told her that she already paved over the path lined up for her, that something new was right around the corner. It was exciting to think that she might be able to pursue both lives, the one she hoped she’d done with grace and stellar commitment that politics rarely saw these days, and the one that she loved the most, her life with Clyde - at the same time. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. He could be her bodyguard for life. They could travel the world, fix its problems, teach others how to break the mold and be good to each other. Rey nodded at that, since peace was so hard to reach, educating society to think differently could truly make a difference - not just singularly, but as a whole… they could reach something truly great.

The fact of the matter was that it would most definitely take their whole lives, and while the essays she turned over would bring back high marks, it wasn’t changing lives. They were all hypothetical proposals that got her a standing ovation when she spoke about them in school, but deep down they would fall flat, especially in war torn places, unlike the United States. They hadn’t seen the world like she had. Not, that is, unless the student body she had been with served their military like Clyde did.

Rey and Clyde lead a secretless life. One she could only make exceptions for if they were surprises, good ones, not like the ones that had them planning out yet another trip back to London. This particular event had been of the few Rey expected to hear - that her father had been ill for some time - it had been why it was imperative to get their family to just get along. He’d worked so hard, just to want one thing and not get it from any of them certainly broke her heart. 

News of his change for the better with his health had been in magazines, several minute sessions on the television and all over the internet, some of which had infuriated her. The man was completely capable to run the country. It hadn’t been cancer, but it was surgery. Nigel needed a kidney and given his status, some criers cursed him, had received his putting their visit at the forefront of her spring break opportunities. 

These thoughts and more swirled around in her mind while Clyde worked her through her training. Clyde’s attention to detail helped Rey focus through his movements. _Make them believe they beat ya before your next move. Make them… believe, _Rey repeated in her mind, blowing out yet another breath while her husband’s fingers and thumb caged her neck. Clyde desperately did not want to do it, she could see it in his eyes how much it pained him to do so, and yet, for the good of her training, he did as she asked. _Make them believe..._she said to herself again. 

Rey knew what to do, he’d taught her well. Too well. And just like her school work, she’d aced this too. Her fingertips drifted over the bracket his hand had made against her flesh, fighting the memory of Stephen forcibly taking life from her while the man she loved hovered there instead. His eyes mirroring the fear she felt inside flickered in surprise the moment she grabbed his wrist, pressing the pressure point there that could cripple the opponent in an instant, making it easier to get free. She, however, did not. Her thumb tracing his palm instead, sending chills down his body, awakening something much more thrilling. Self defense had quickly gone from a skill she needed, to an activity to spar through their intimate encounters with, and that night was no different. 

. . . 

“You act like you’ve never been on a plane before,” Rose teased Kaydel as she roamed around the private aircraft.

“_This is not a plane,”_ she tutted.

“What would you call it then?” Jess rolled her eyes at Rose, who couldn’t drop it. 

“Rose, seriously?” 

“Yeah, what would you call it if it isn’t a plane?”

“Airbus,” Jess slid in there. “It’s an airbus… so… sit.”

The two of them rolled their eyes at her, then turned their attention to the lovebirds down towards their room. 

“You guys better not forget we’re on this flight,” Jess called. 

“Careful, Jess,” Rose teased, “Don’t want to start sounding like Lizzy.”

“Kay? Did you hear that?” Jess snorted.

“What?” Kay’s eyes went wide. Those four words instilled change in Jess in a way that was far harder to convince her out of than it was to accept.

“I hear the request for a name change,” she said. 

Rose could only groan at that. Over the course of their friendship, Jess had made it quite obvious that anyone she didn’t quite trust had a nickname, which she was overjoyed in the four months it took to erase the neverending switch of floral species from the girl’s repertoire, but the moment Jess licked her bottom lip, Rose knew it was over. 

“Don’t…”

“Don’t what, Lily?”

“Oh my fuck,” Rose muttered.

“That’s not how a flower should speak,” Jess commented. 

“Flowers don’t speak,” Kay added.

“Thank you Captain Obvious!” Rose glared at Kay. 

“CO! What a contribution?! Yes!” Jess howled. 

Rey’s brow furrowed at the muffled conversation they were having just beyond her door. Clyde, her sweet man, had made sure she was alright about going back. There really was no way out of it, but it wasn’t like she didn’t have her family with her. Sure her mother was a verified form of crazy these days, but her father needed the family together. He pushed for it, and in doing so spilled the beans about his health to her directly. It was hard enough reading about it before it came from his lips over the phone, but there it was, the need to reassure him that the family could get along and learn to live together peacefully, despite her mother’s tantrums. She could do this… 

Clyde held Rey’s hand, the one he’d been dying to find a ring for while absentmindedly rubbing his own, hoping for the weight of what they’d done together to fall into place, reassuring her the way he usually would. She could feel his concern in the way he touched her, it sent her through the motions of what happened then, only to double down and promise that she had him. 

“This is our choice and our time, Clyde,” she said and interlocked her fingers with his. “No one can take this from us. No one.”

“That’s right, darlin’. No one,” he repeated, pulling her against him. Rey could feel herself melt into him, his body warm and ready like clockwork. “Not even,” he raised his eyebrows at the door to make an example of her friend’s just beyond them. 

“Hmm,” Rey hummed in agreement. “No, I wouldn’t worry about them,” she lingered against his lips, reveling in the hot breath tumbling from her man.

“Oh? N why’s that?” he tried to ask while Rey’s hands began to travel over his body. 

“Well, they were the first to support this...besides the both of us, Clyde. I’m sure they’ll manage being on their own awhile.”

Clyde’s body shuddered at her unspoken promise. His arms wrapped around her waist, both traveling down her body just enough to reach her ass. Rey sighed with need when he pulled her against him hard enough to grind his length against her needily. 

Muffled voices begin breaking their air space, but it wasn’t enough to slow their efforts, that is, until Rey lets out another moan, one that she’d been used to calling out at home or better still, after they got hitched on their mini vacation. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jess tutted. 

“What?” Kay asks, pulling her noise canceling headphones off of her ear a beat. 

“Sleep with those on,” Jess pointed at the offending object. 

“And why not? I seem to know someone that does it a lot,” Rose countered. 

“I can’t fall out of the sky at home,” Jess continued. 

“Oh my God, Jess! We are not going to fall out of the sky.”

“You don’t know that.”

“And what makes you so sure we will?” Kay interrupts. 

Jess’ fatigue showed from the day, her face drooped and all of her patience were quite clearly gone, “I am just saying if we do, you’ll be the last one out.”

“I can live with that,” Kay rolled her eyes, letting her hands do the talking. Kaydel waved over the offending divider between them before rolling over in her bunk to hopefully sleep through such things.

Rose is the next to follow suit, quickly followed by Jess who kept her ears open and her friends safe.

. . . 

Their flight took them well into the morning before landing in London, only to get in around eleven, which was far better than six, like they had for Christmas. This, at least, gave them time to catch up on each other’s plans. Not that the girls hadn’t been excited about traveling with Rey enough to talk about their trip and the plans that revolved around it every time they crossed paths or anything. Their conversations during their travel revolved more around where the girls wanted to go sightseeing, with the occasional wink between Rose and Kay suggesting they had something more up their sleeve. 

“I know what you’re doing,” Jess said.

“What?” Kay asked. 

“We’re blinking with one eye open,” Rose tested.

“No, you’re planning something, Tulip. I know you.”

“Tulip?” Rey lifted her eyebrow in question. 

“Oh God,” Rey smacked her forehead. 

“Jess is—” Kay began to speak.

“Status here is back to a random flower, not a Rose.”

“Oh, not this again,” Rey huffed. 

“Tell that to—”

“What started it this time?” Rey continued. 

“Oh? What was it, Iris?” Jess pushed.

Rose huffed, not quite ready to accept the fate of her name before telling Rey what happened. 

“There’s not enough tea in the world to deal with this right now,” Rey started. 

“Hard same,” Kaydel added. 

“Easy there, Cap.”

“You don’t have to be my mother’s friend this whole time,” Rey confirmed. She eyed Rose and Kay before adding, “Only some of it.”

“I see how it is,” Jess tutted. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a fantastic name for you.”

. . .

Landing went as well as it could have gone, and travel home did, too. While Rey was used to it, the girls were not and it showed. Each of them, in some way, checked out the armored vehicle as they rode off of the tarmac, and Clyde certainly looked as though he had his hands full with three rambunctious children and Rey. She imagined that image and who their kids could be, when they had them of course. The thought of having three beautiful dark haired children, maybe more some day made her smile. Clyde’s little joke of having thirteen little ones might not be such a fantasy considering how giving a lover he was, the very thought of it made her squirm in her seat. It had been slight, but her man caught her. 

His big brown eyes darkening as they closed, only to reopen nearly black this time, his own movement is slight while he sits beside her. Rey watched the way he licked his bottom lip, the way he’d always done before he’d kissed her hard and covered her. 

“Ya alright, darlin’?” He asked, his voice dripping with need. 

Rey bit her lip, shaking her head slightly.

“No? Is there anything I can get you?” he asked discreetly, lowering his lips behind her ear. 

Rey did her best to remember they were not alone, but her body begged her to forget. She was truly in a haze, trying her best to decipher where they were the moment his lips touched there. She blew out a slow breath, ready to answer, when the car came to its final stop. 

Clyde knew to back away, straightening as he usually did, leaving Rey to squirm again. 

The two now caught in the three other passenger’s eyes both do their best to ignore their friends, but it doesn’t take long for Jess to speak up, “So, who’s up for some tennis?”

“Tennis?” Kaydel’s brow drops, not totally understanding Jess’ term. “You don’t mean the…”

“The flight must have been long for you,” Jess side eyes her friend. 

“Yeah, I’m game. These two wont last a week here,” Rose comments. 

“Ah, we have a winner, Lil.”

“Please don’t call me Lil.”

“Lil it is,” Jess lifts her eyebrows slightly, then winks at Rey. “Lil and I got you covered.”

The rest of the morning was relatively uneventful, much to both Rose and Jess’ frustration. Being stand in bodyguards sounded fun to the two of them, which was honestly more fun to watch. In fact, Rey was pretty sure Rose would make a pretty good service member, if, that is, she wasn’t trying to break free from it. She supposed it had something to do with her upbringing. While Rose was free to do as she pleased within the limits of good versus bad, Rey was not, therefore, breaking free from the confines of her family’s expectations would no doubt be that much harder. The very thought crossed her mind about Jess, too. While Jess wasn’t quite as flashy as Rose, what with the pretend finger gun and all, the woman was quite serious on positioning herself between Rey and Clyde every time the opportunity arose. 

“So, soccer tonight?” Kaydel piped up, bringing Rey back from her thoughts.

“Yes. My father prefers the night games. To be honest, I never really found out why, but I think it has something to do with his college days.”

“It has everything to do with my college days,” Nigel agreed, rounding the corner. 

“Hey,” Rey smiled, as Rose and Jess eyed each other before the two moved forward to greet her father. 

“Um, should I ask?” Nigel asked as he studied Jess for a brief second. 

“They’re just wound up from the flight,” Rey says, waving off her friends before pulling her father in for a hug. “So? How are you feeling?”

“Better. Nearly normal,” he whispered to her. 

“Does nearly normal mean you’ll sit the whole game?” Rey smirked, feeling the bond between them regrow. 

“Well,” Nigel leaned his head to the side, questioning himself and the space in the process. 

“Please tell me you’ll stay in the box, at least.”

“I can’t make any promises,” he said, eliciting a sigh from across the room. One that was far louder than Earl had meant it to be, to which Nigel spun his head around to locate him. “What? It’s football!”

Earl made no addition to the conversation, ending it before it started. 

“Right, shall we?” Rey asked, falling back to Clyde’s side and fighting the urge to reach for his hand. 

“I suppose so. We do still have a bit before they start letting people in, though. I give it about maybe an hour until we need to leave, I’d say.” Nigel paused, then asked, “Have you seen your mother yet?”

“I can’t say I have. I’m positive she doesn’t want to see me, either.”

“Nonsense. It’s been… well… its been, Rey. Life isn’t what I had imagined it would be, but we’re all here and that’s what matters. It’s fine, honestly… what you said about Stephen and your feelings. I’m glad you brought it up.”

“Mother isn’t. I can assure you.”

“No, she isn’t, but you’d be surprised. She’s gotten along. Not nearly as gracefully as you have it seems. But she’s trying.”

“I hardly doubt that,” Rey said. 

“Rey, please. Please just give her a chance. Change really isn’t easy for your mother. Just, just try to think about that before you interact with her,” her father pleaded.

To that Rey nodded, “I will. I promise.”

. . . 

It’s the way Rose gaped at Jess that had their group staring at her too. 

“What?” Jess’ question is so flat they aren’t sure if it's really a question. 

“Just, you look…” Kay stopped herself. There was no other reason she needed for Jess to call her Cap or CO for that matter. 

“I look like what?” Jess nodded, her eyes wide and flashing a challenge. 

Rose looked to the side, trying not to gain yet another remix to her name, but sucks it up for the four of them. She nodded just like Jess, pointing with her chin at the woman’s chest. “What you got under there?”

“Where, Rose?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Rose did her best to stay strong in their conversation without turning red. “You look like you’ve got multiple bras on under that…”

“Define multiple…”

“Oh my God... “ Kay grimaced… “It looks like you have like five on. What are you doing? It’s a baggy sweatshirt. It’s supposed to be baggy.”

Jess stared at them a good while before finally breaking out into laughter. No nicknames ensued, nothing, just a hard glare at them before stating the obvious in her own way. “We aren’t in the States, Cap. We’re with the PM and his family, which means security detail at every turn, and while I might not be at the top of that line for safety, I am completely into saving my ass. So if that means putting on some body armor, even if it looks like I’m going boating with a black vest on, I’m _doing _it.”

Clyde cleared his throat and looked away. Even he was subject to Jess. What was it about this girl that could press so many people’s buttons? Rey wondered. 

“You know, I’m surprised with all the First Order bullshit that’s going on that you guys don’t think like this. Why isn’t Kyle dressed? And why aren’t you, for that matter?” she pushed. 

“It’s for the public... “ Rey started. 

“It’s for the public that you don’t protect yourself? Am I hearing you right?”

“I am protected,” Rey clung to Clyde. 

“Rose. Back me up,” Jess was done being funny. It was time to be serious. Rey knew the switch was important to her. “Cops in the States wear body armor, do they not?”

“Cops, yes.”

“Political figures?”

“Some. Not all, and certainly not if there hasn’t been threats made,” Rose informally agreed with Rey, sending Jess into a fury explaining why she finds it absolutely necessary. 

“It’s a soccer game, Jess! Football… sorry,” Kay interrupted. “It’s just football. She can’t - they can’t… they’ll disturb the flow. The people will see and it will cause hysteria. If not that, there will be questions - don’t you remember the media she got a few years ago for it?”

Jess sighed. 

“I’m not taking it off. If they have something to say about me, let them. I’d love to know what they come up with.”

. . . 

At the game Rey, her family and friends were escorted to Nigel’s box, up in the top of the arena, overlooking the field. Rey stood at the window, mercilessly tugging the small white gold hoop earring that hid in her wavy hair as a diversion of sorts, hiding the tiny clear radio set in her ear. Thanks to Jess, Clyde felt the need to keep his wife protected, even if he was expected to rove around the unit. Rey remembered what he said to her, which honestly hadn’t been a surprise. Jess was right, the UK was handling changes, and while the First Order was about, Clyde couldn’t help but need to know she was truly safe, especially when they weren’t home. It was the sense of urgency that got her, honestly. Not to mention the thought of keeping him in her ear when he wasn’t there to whisper whatever had been on his mind was a selling point. Rey can still feel the way his fingers brushed the shell of her ear when he’d helped her put it in, his eyes on her as they fell, softly dropping them down the column of her neck to settle on her collarbone. The thought of which sent shivers through her, needing to feel exactly that again. 

“Clyde?” she whispered. 

“Yes, darlin’?” Clyde happened to sound worried. 

“I-I’m fine,” she breathed, trying to make herself discreet. “I-I just wanted to hear you.” Rey wasn’t positive, but believed that her man was grinning on the other end of their line. 

“I’m here, sweetheart. I’m always here. Ya got nothin’ ta worry about,” he promised her. 

“I know… I know… you’re just the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.” 

“Ya’ll never haveta find out, darlin’. Never. D’ya hear me? There ain’t nothin’ I wouldnt do ta keep ya safe.”

It’s his tone that keeps her at ease through the first half of the game. Her man was always there. He’d saved her from her nightmares. Kept her whole. Given more than she could ever repay and now something as simple as settling her through a family outing to a game just because he isnt in the room with her, isn’t exactly where she thought her mind would go. Perhaps it had something to do with being a newlywed. The feeling of needing that other person more than the air she breathed came to mind. Clyde, well, Clyde was her everything, her other half, and she was going to break if she didn’t see his face. 

Down on the field players volleyed the ball between each other, a few obviously getting into the heat of the moment, fighting each other, tooth and nail, over a tiny white and black ball. The simplicity of it seemed to get her, how nice it would be to slow down. Rey closed her eyes and drank in the possibilities once more of slowing down with Clyde and enjoying life outside of her pressing position. Politics, fancy outings, having to dress properly, while the people below her cheered wildly, some boozed up and sloshing around, while others painted their bodies and made absolute asses of themselves, at least they were living. Her imagination would spurt off many of these thoughts, even while she was visiting with her family, and reminding her friends to eat while they indulge. 

“Yes, Mom,” Rose laughed, taking another soft pretzel to share between her and Kaydel. 

Jess, on the other hand, stayed stone faced and watchful, like something about this was wrong. Rey made her way to the side she’d been looking out onto the field from. The two stood in silence watching the game continue. 

“I don’t think you’re wrong,” Rey finally said. 

Jess’s eyebrow rose in response.

“About feeling the need to protect yourself,” Rey continued. “The First Order scares me. All we know about it is that there’s a following. A number we can’t calculate from their systematic attacks, and whatever the news has been paid to say. There are no true facts… none that we’ve unearthed at least, and we still have to show face as naturally as we can to avoid stirring up the public anymore.”

Jess simply nodded while Rey’s words settle between them. 

“I can’t show I’m scared. I can’t show they’ve won… I just can’t, no matter how badly I want to hide, I can’t.”

“I’m not judging you. Or, rather, I wasn’t,” Jess started, her eyes still scanning around the field and over the stands. “It just seems strange, you know. A normal thing at home can be wildly underrated here - in a…” Jess’ voice trailed off all of a sudden. 

Something had caught her eye, her brow furrowing as she traced the off putting commotion. 

“What?” Rey asked, her breath shook as soon as the floor did. 

“EVERYBODY OUT!!” Jess hollered, her head swiveled over her shoulder at such a rate Rey was sure she would have whiplash. 

It isn’t, however, until the ground rumbled a second time before the floor started to give way. Chunks of the tile fell into stands below, showing a gaping hole of missing seats around people who had fled. Some stayed, screaming down into the pit begging for their family members to reply. The darkness, while briefly seen, looked as though it went down forever. They were up high after all… but that wasn’t what got Rey. No… it was images of children from her nightmares, clinging to the seats around the still crumbling hole. They were always the people she couldn’t help, the ones she’d never reach, no matter how she begged for time or a miracle, Rey couldn’t help. All she could do was save her own life. 

Heavy foot falls stomping the ground silenced her earpiece. Clyde’s urgency to find her went unnoticed while the room collapsed on itself. The best she could do was run. Jess’ voice commanding her family, Earl somewhere in the background, guiding them through the crowds flooding out exits. There no one moved. Nothing could. Sirens filled the air, lights flashed while some sparked. Other bodyguards she hadn’t yet truly gotten to know urged her on with her family. Steps from the blinking red double door, Rey’s heart constricted. Of all the sounds finally pummeling her, she hadn’t heard Clyde’s. What if he was hurt? 

“Wait,” she wrestled the arm bracketing her in. “WAIT! CLYDE!?” Rey yelled. Her face just as pleading as the sound of her voice pitched, “Where is Clyde? I can’t go,” she struggled again, once more before breaking free. The image of the door, the faceless crowd, the guard who had been set permanently into protection mode, all flashed in front of her eyes as if she couldn’t truly get away even though she turned back. 

Another rumble sent her tumbling forward. Rey hit the shattered tile floor. Dirt and dust started to billow around her as people mowed her over to get to the sanctuary of the exit. There, she truly felt invisible. A mixture of sneakers, boots and heels stomped on her hands and around her, causing some to even fall, causing a pile in the mass of bodies. Another rumble caused several to move, others to curse, the rest to cry and pray in languages she couldn't decipher. 

“Get to the door!” Rose’s voice called, her purpose known. Her parents, their professions, all she could hear in her friend’s voice. “Single file! No pushing! No shoving! We will get out if you stay calm!”

Rey lifted her head at the light piercing her eyes. At first she thought it was flashlight scanning the crowd, only to learn that a light post had fallen across the field, lifting light into their section of the blast. By some miracle some were still on, even though it had been hanging. It was enough light, however to see where the people were coming from. Rey braced herself, her arms in front of her shielding her face as she lunged forward. Startling people around her, Rey found people began to focus on her. Some placing who she was and trying to turn her out towards the exits with them, others not quite certain, and it showed. 

“No please, I, I need my… person,” she found herself saying. 

A woman’s face stared at her, one she was sure she’d never forget. Her eyes were dark, her hair light, but her expression told her she understood. 

“Find them,” her hand withdrew from Rey’s arm, clutching her child, moving forward with the rest of them. 

“I will,” she whispered. 

A tapping sensation began to tick at her attention the further she ran into the darkness. What was that? It sounded as though it crackled somewhat with each step. 

“Rey!” Clyde’s voice rang through the desolate place, but where was it coming from?

“Clyde?” Rey cried. “Clyde, where are you?”

Rey raced around further into the cleared space, panting hard as she did. Her lungs barely filling with the falling dust and debris. 

“Ear, please, darlin’? Can ya hear me?”

Rey’s eyes widened. Her fingers fumbled to find the piece. It’s why she couldn’t hear him. It’s why she didn’t know…

“Darlin’? Sweetheart, please?” Clyde’s voice was strained through the piece as if each breath he expelled could somehow comfort her, even though she was apart from him. It truly felt like he was trying to reach through the line to wrap her in one of his calming hugs. Hadn’t they just been in each other’s arms? Did they really come here? Were they at home? Was it all a terrible nightmare? She willed herself to calm her breathing and wake up… but nothing came. No spark of sunlight, no warmth of her husband’s smile… no. She was here. This was real. 

“Clyde?” Rey began to weep in the earpiece. “A-are you okay? Please tell me you’re alright. Please, I need to hear it.”

“I’m fine,” he was curt, surely suppressing a grumble. “Where are you?” 

Where was she? Rey hesitated before getting back to Clyde, looking for anything that would give her a clear idea of her location. Rey raced around to another opening, one still standing, the structure in the doorframe just around the bend. 

“Rey! Tell me where you are?” Clyde pressed. 

“Second level, close to home goal…”

“Fuck!” he hissed, leaving his radio on to her, his breathing harsh as he hollered at whoever was still with him. “How could ya let this happen? I shoulda been up there with her, not fucking roving!”

“She was in a box!” another bodyguard shouted back. 

Rey knew his voice, but not his name. 

“That’s besides the point, Speedy!”

Speedy… that’s who it was… he was at the door with her. That, oh!

“It’s not his fault, Clyde. It’s no ones. I ran… looking for you,” she admitted. 

Rey was sure she had never heard her man swear in quite a way, but this was certainly not what he thought he’d be doing, fighting with his team to rescue his wife during a terrorist attack. Their time together had certainly been that of dreams, nothing too terrible that they couldn’t handle together… but this, this was different in so many ways. 

“Stay where you are,” he ordered, and she watched as a man, her man ran across the field in her direction. 

The crackling began again, this time over head, pushing her out the door and into the exposed seats. 

“Damnit Rey, I told ya ta stay!”  
  
“It’s coming down! I can’t! I’ll… I’ll…” Rey didn’t want to say it. Saying it would make it real. Leaving it open though, it made him charge to her far faster than she’d ever seen him move. Clyde climbed the stairs in the bottom half of the stadium only to find no easy way up. Most of the debris had crashed onto the aisle, making a ramp of sorts. Crumbling cement, strewn chairs, mangled metal all dumped in several places that couldn’t quite reach the overhang. 

What to do? 

What could she do? Rey hopped up and down, releasing her nervous energy. 

“I’m gonna jump!” She pointed to a pile that looked close enough. 

“Rey! No. It’s too far, you aren’t going to make that,” he pleaded. 

“It’s not that far… remember the terrace?” 

“It’s not like that. Ya can’t climb down and jumping - Rey, yer gonna impale yourself on something if ya jump, darlin’. Please don’t.” 

“How else am I gonna get to you then?” Rey stifled her sob. 

“I’m - let me just think, darlin’. We’ll get ya down. Yer gonna be okay,” he soothed. 

Time moved slow and fast all at once. Another four blasts just beneath her had gone off, like they were planned. Of course they were.. She shook her head free of the ifs. This had the First Order all over it. Explosions moved. It was calculated. It was an attack on her country… but oddly felt like it singled her out. All at once she was sinking. Clyde’s form becoming reachable, Rey did the only thing she could think to. Run and jump, and while she left the platform, her body sank with it, not quite making her intended target with the collapsing building’s force pulling her down past him. 

In one last attempt to get to Clyde, she threw her hand out into the clouds of dust and billowing cement debris, particles of which stung her skin as if she was bare and diving into a sand storm. The pain was earth shattering, but in the last moment she held on for hope, her husband’s large warm hand encircled her forearm, her fingers scrambled to hold on. 

“I’ve gotcha, baby,” Clyde fought the vacuum effect threatening to pull her down to the depth of the devastation. 

She felt his muscles strain against the fabric of his suit while he hauled her out of the hole in one grippingly desperate motion. While Clyde panted, his breath sounding furious for the situation, angry with himself that he hadn’t been there, Rey could feel herself give into the fear that gripped her though the whole attack. Somehow though, she could feel the energy in the space wasn’t quite complete. In the distance there were more. Civilians screamed, sirens blared, both police and military personnel began taking over the streets, it was apparent now… this was far more devastating than a singular location as they had been while her father was in power. Not even the one that had her caught in the crossfire of unseen weaponry hadn’t been as terrifying as what they were witnessing now. 

Clyde spoke to her, urging her to go with him, and she did without a thought. They hurried down the stands, out onto the open field, running in step with the others barging out of the building through the fire escape. 

“There’s a car waiting!” He rushed out, sounding as if he wasn’t coming with her. 

“Where are the others? Kaydel? Rose? Everyone? Where’s my family?”

“They’re moving with the convoy. We’re getting you out of here…” Earl encircled her arm, shouting above the madness. 

“I’m not…” Rey withdrew her arm from Earl. “I’m not going with them. I’m staying with Clyde!” 

Earl gave her a hard look, threatening in a way that only he could give without crossing a family line. Tires screeched in the distance, racing down the street in front of them the wrong way, hitting parked cars, carelessly hitting people fleeing, only to ram into the first of her family’s dark SUVs. The armored vehicle continued down the open pavilion, ramming into pylons and overturning it. The speed alone flung the truck onto the pavement hard enough to send a wave of sparks towards the rest of their SUVs. Earl commanded them with a wave of his hand to go. They had to move in the event that the drivers emerged. It took him no time to pull a gun she hadn’t seen from his side to approach the flaming vehicle. 

Were they all armed? The thought crossed Rey’s mind, just enough to look back at Clyde who hadn’t pulled anything. He, was he carrying? She would have noticed, wouldn’t she?

Engines roared as they took off. Rey, who didn’t know who they were carrying in their convoy, prayed they would get out unscathed. All the while car bombs reacted down the road, chasing them out. Her screams had gone unheard, now deaf to even herself. 

It took no time to find out who had been displaced. Her mother and father scrambled to get back to her, or at least it looked like in slow motion. Her mother found her way to Earl, while her father reached out to hold Rey’s hand, then hugging her in a thankful way. Nigel’s head whipped around looking for Clyde first, then Elizabeth and her anger. 

“Did you know about this? Isn’t it your job to know?” she hissed. 

“Please back away, ma’am,” he registered her presence, but made no move to take his eyes off of the body in the truck. 

“Oh! I’m a ma’am now?” she shrieked, making them relive the obvious as if they hadn’t been through the events themselves. 

“For the love of all things holy, Elizabeth! STOP!” Nigel released out into the public. “How could they have known? How could any of them have known? They aren’t active service members. Do you not recall that?” He released Rey from his hold, handing her off to Clyde who eagerly took up the position. 

The streets failed to be silent while they argued, giving way to another set of wheels that raced around the building. Rey clutched Clyde while he moved her past the clearing to avoid said vehicle. It lurched to a full stop, the engine still hot, as Jess swung the door open to a sandy colored humvee. 

“Where the fuck?...” Earl’s question failed to take hold as she hollered above him. 

“Pile in! We’re getting outta here!” She threw her thumb over her shoulder at the humvee that had been missing a few doors. Rey eyed her friend, the body armor the girls teased her about now out and seen while her sweatshirt hung around her waist. Her brow furrowed as she lost herself in thought._ Did Jess know??_

“Pava,” Earl urged her to move to the passenger’s side so he can drive. “You know this is an offense, stealing a military —”

“I’m borrowing it, _dad_,” Rey watched her eyes roll while Earl’s bulged out of his head. He was clearly trying to control himself. A rumble in his throat had gone fully ignored as Jess continued securing both Nigel, then Elizabeth, before drawing a breath to challenge the woman. 

“No more from you, Lizzy. Remember this moment…” she whispered. 

“And which is that?” Elizabeth stared daggers into the woman before her. 

“...The one where the dumb Americans are saving your ass.”

Rey, then Clyde piled in behind her. Not soon after Earl hauled the humvee down the absolutely wrecked city street. A line of police flashed through Rey’s memories, her nightmares - they’d shown her this. 

“TURN AROUND!!” she screamed, releasing her seatbelt trying to reach the steering wheel. 

“SIT THE FUCK DOWN, REY!” Earl hollered in return, scrambling to push the woman back down. “SECURE HER, CLYDE!”

“No! No!” she panicked. “I’ve seen this! DON’T!” she cried again. 

“Clyde, for the last time!...” Earl warned. 

“TURN! GODDAMNIT EARL!!” He followed his wife’s protests, unbuckling himself to turn for him. The sudden movement turning them left had just barely saved them from the erupting ground before them. 

In one quick motion Rey’d seen it, Clyde’s form falling out of the open doorway. She reached out again to him, this time desperately trying to keep him in, but being pulled out, the two of them crumbling into the other, doing their best to protect the other. Shrapnel flew, a constant rain of glass, pavement and twisted metal beating down on the couple. 

There’s no light, only darkness that contains the two, all the while Clyde repeats a poem from the day she’d recited it in the back of her car to him:

_Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded –with what caution –with what foresight –with what dissimulation I went to work!_

Through the thundering terror just outside of them, Rey outstretched her bloodied hand to cup his cheek, only to tell him she’d do the same.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the attacks in London has more effect on Rey & Clyde than they ever could have imagined. Will this be the one thing that tears them apart forever - or is their love strong enough to weather the storm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence, Loss of limbs, PTSD aftermath
> 
> We hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoy writing it for you! :)

[ ](https://imgur.com/djbxv64)

There was an eerie silence that came after an explosion, just before the chaos of getting to survivors and trying to render aid began. As debris began to rain down on him as his body covered his wife’s, Clyde’s first order of business was to make sure Rey was okay.

“Rey, Rey...darlin’?” Clyde ignored the sharp, stinging pain in his left arm as he tried to find his wife through the thick, acrid smoke that was now encompassing everything. She had been right there with him, clutching his hand as he reassured her with sweet words that had meaning to them both.

...Now she was gone, and he felt his heart racing frantically in his chest. He was certain he had sheltered her from the blast with his own body, had felt her hand in his, had felt her delicate body under his - but now she was gone.

A set of hands came into view, grabbing at him, and Clyde pushed them away, his eyes searching for Rey, moving from point to point rapidly. “Rey! Rey Logan! Darlin’, where are ya?”

Another set of hands came into view then, a kind woman’s face swimming above him through the haze. “Sir, I’m a paramedic. We need to get you to the hospital, you’ve suffered an injury to your arm.”

“I don’t care ‘bout that! None of it! I gotta find my wife, leave me alone!” Clyde pushed against the woman, sending a sharp pain through his arm. He looked down at it, hissing in a breath at the mangled flesh he found, shreds of tissue and bone hanging in awkward angles from his lower arm.

“Rey! Rey!” Clyde did his best to stand, his head swimming and his ears ringing still. The world tilted at an unnatural angle, and Clyde found himself on the ground again, his cheek pressed against the concrete as more paramedics descended on him.

“We have a traumatic injury to lower left arm, male patient, approximately 30-35 years of age. Where shall we triage?” Clyde heard the words being spoken around him, a cacophony of voices all speaking at once.

“What’s your name, love?” A kind voice asked, and Clyde coughed once before answering with the only thing that came to his brain, his military training kicking in. “Logan, Clyde S. Staff Sergeant, 3rd Battallion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Service Number 236-83-9854. Blood Type O Negative, No allergies.”

Clyde tried to stay focused, but as the world started to spiral into darkness, he could only manage another word as he slipped into the night. “Rey.”

….

The world swam back into focus as someone was touching his necklace, a set of cold, gloved hands trying to pull it over his head. “No, leave it alone!” Clyde shouted, although his voice sounded hoarse, a mere whisper of what it normally was when he yelled. “My… my wife gave that ta me, stop yer fussin’ and leave it be, ya hear me?”

“Mr. Logan…” A voice started in, but Clyde refused to listen, doing his best to smack and punch at anyone who was touching him at the moment, trying to launch his body at them off the small, hard cot he was occupying. 

“Leave me be, or imma clobber ya one!” Clyde managed to grit out, despite the pain he was feeling. “Where’s my wife? I need my wife!”

“Doctor, we need you in here,” Clyde heard a voice call out. He felt the air shift as someone entered the room, and he tried to listen to what was being said, although with his ears still ringing from the blast, it was hard. Everything sounded deadened, like they were talking through a three foot thick concrete wall. “Doctor, could we sedate this patient? He’s trying to fight us, and we need to get him prepped for surgery STAT. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Of course. 2.5 milligrams of midazolam IV.” The man swam into view above Clyde, placing a hand on his shoulder to try and soothe him. “Sir, you’ve suffered a horrible injury to your arm. We need to do surgery. Please let my nurses do their jobs.”

“Piss off,” Clyde said as he swatted at someone who was once again trying to remove his necklace. The doctor simply nodded at someone, and Clyde felt something warm in his veins, making everything once again go hazy and dark. “Rey…”

….

  
  


Clyde woke with a start, his hands reaching out to feel for Rey before he realized he was no longer outside the soccer stadium in London. There was no acrid smell of debris, smoke and gasoline burning, no sounds of people screaming, no coppery taste of blood in his mouth, or the temporary blindness that comes from being so near an explosion.

“R-Rey?” he croaked out, his mouth dry, his lips cracked and splitting open as he spoke.

She had to be alright, didn’t she? 

Clyde did his best to think back to the moments before the explosion, when Earl had sent the warning out to the whole team. Another threat had been received, and he had barely gotten the words out when the world lit up in a cacophony of flames, shrapnel and screams. Clyde had tucked Rey under him as he dropped them to the ground, thankful that his girl listened to him as well as she did. If not, the results would have been much different than he hoped they were.

The steady beep of machines made him realize where he was, and he heard a clipped British voice addressing him. Clyde tried to focus, but all he could think about was Rey.

_ Concussive damage ... concussion… memory loss… transradial amputation of the left arm… 40% of forearm remaining…  _

The words floated through the air to Clyde’s ears, even as his eyes darted around the room, finally settling on Earl, who was perched in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair near his bed.

“Where’s Rey?” Clyde demanded of his boss, knowing Earl would understand why he was so frantic.

”Now Clyde, she’s fine. She’s upstairs in a room, recovering from a concussion.” Earl glanced up at the doctor, who was frowning at Clyde. “Hey, doc, can you give us a minute or two?”

The doctor nodded, leaving them alone, and Earl scooted his chair closer. “Clyde, did you hear anything the good doctor was saying? Miner, you did your job, and did it well… but you lost a good portion of your arm protecting your directive. We’re sending you home in a few days to mend. The company, of course, will take care of everything for you for a long time to come.”

  
  
  
  


News programs rattled off updates, misplaced people, the death toll. While surprisingly low, the total injured was clearly sky rocketing. The men, women and children filling the hallways within the hospital - which was clearly not capable of tending to hundreds at once - studied her as she practically floated through them. Rushed questions billowed out of nurses fussing over her, the Prime Minister’s daughter, when they could have been helping others. 

“The children…” she whispered, her eyes rolling back into her head as she tried to nod in their direction. Rey’s head dropped backwards, hanging over her shoulders, only to be supported by yet another. Inwardly, where she had some sort of lasting control, she prayed that they knew she was trying to help...that she wouldn’t ever put herself before them intentionally.

“You have children?” the nurse asked Rey to clarify. 

“No! Of course she doesn’t have  _ children _ !” Elizabeth all but growled, “ _ She doesn't even want to get married! _ ”

“They don't need all of that,” Nigel hushed his wife. “Just let them do their job!”

As they went through their paperwork, a nurse helped fill it out as they got responses from her, Rey’s eyes opening and closing sleepily. The symptoms of her concussion had been definite by then, noted in her chart by an observant nurse. 

“Just two more, sweetheart, then you can rest,” an older woman told her. “Are you single, married, or divorced?” 

Elizabeth rolled her eyes in protest, but the woman paid no mind. 

“M-married,” Rey breathed. 

“Name?” Her nurse asked. 

“Clyde… Logan….”

“Honey, I need you to keep your eyes open,” she warned.

Rey could feel her press the pen into her hand. It felt cold and small, as if it shouldn't have been as thin as it was, or was that her fingers? Was she swelling? Why didn't this make any sense anymore? 

“Rey,” the nurse said her name sternly. “I need you to make your mark here so we can treat you.” 

Another mark neatly made the page, allowing Clyde to be given information on her health and make necessary decisions in the event that she couldn't before she passed out. There, in the silence of her mind, she could only see darkness. She’d stretch her awareness to the surface of her thoughts, unable to reach the ones she needed the most. Rey would have done anything to see Clyde there, but her memory was just as war torn as the city streets. Her day was, in a word, over, whether she wanted it to be or not. 

Just how long she stayed out was a mystery to her, but at some point she could hear muffled sounds, her parents most likely, arguing… over what she wasn't sure. As she became more aware, capable of surfacing through the thick wall of terror before her, she heard him. Stephen. Her mother was welcoming him with wide open arms. They spoke softly, but hurriedly, in some way about how he hadn’t been in the city, but heard about the devastation. He knew specifics, where they would be, how awful it could have been for them… things that made her feel the muscles in her face shift ever so slightly. Even as they did she’d schooled them, but defied her they did when she heard his footsteps march over to her bed. 

“Oh, my beautiful girl,” he sighed, bringing her limp left hand up to his lips. “If only I was there to protect you. If only you’d have let me.” 

Rey did her best not to recoil, not to flinch in the least. She had to play dead, be dead for him to leave her alone. The very thought of Stephen monitoring her space had her worried for Clyde. The moment her consciousness pulled her to the forefront of her mind, Clyde was all she could see. She would get to him. She would warn them. 

Rey’s nurse came in moments later, explaining that they needed to check over her wounds and take her vitals, and that they would need everyone out so that they could complete a full body x-ray as well.

“Why on earth?...” Elizabeth started. 

“This is just to be sure shrapnel hasn’t been lodged anywhere else in her body. Standard procedure.”

“Standard? Standard! NONE OF THIS IS STANDARD!” her mother shouted, to which Stephen released her hand, and Rey let it drop off the bed to hang uncomfortably there. 

“No, none of this is standard. You’re right,” he cooed, “but it’s for the one we love, is it not?”

Her mother agreed with whatever twisted game Stephen was playing with her, until she finally followed him out the door. 

Once cleared, Rey’s nurse carefully replaced her hanging arm on her bed, and whispered knowingly that she could open her eyes now. 

When Rey had, her nurse was kind enough to dim the lights and offer her some water regardless of the IV in her arm, too. 

“How did you…” Rey’s sentence trailed off. 

“Sweetheart,” she rolled her eyes at herself. “Look at me. I am old enough to know when someone’s pretending.”

“Oh,” Rey tried not to feel guilty for what she just did. But.. but … Clyde… She sat up fast in her bed, already in a panic, her nurse slowing her movement just as much as her pounding head and burning ribs did. 

“Now, now. I won't have you reinjuring yourself. It’s doctor’s orders that you’re here for at least two days for proper monitoring.” 

“But I’m…”

“I can’t make any exceptions,” she said resolutely. 

“But my husband,” Rey breathed. “He’s in trouble.”

Her nurse’s brow furrowed, trying to piece together what the girl had been saying. 

“That man. The one that was with my mother. He’s - he’s going to hurt him. Clyde. My Clyde, please!” Rey begged. 

“And why would he? I need the facts before I can press the matter, Rey.”

Rey explained her life in details she would never try to with her family, “Clyde is my everything, while Stephen is a terrifying mon-ster…” Rey’s eyes widened, her life with Clyde beginning to flash before her eyes. “Please! Please tell me no one can be in with him. None other than myself, please!”

The little woman rounded the bed, pressing the call button on her bed and rattling off a code of sorts to be on the lookout for Stephen, or anyone that looked like they could be verified by their team as moving with the look of ill intent to be removed from the facility. Next, she called the floor physician for a subscription for a sedative… to which Rey screamed. She may not have known the type she’d surely be given, but she needed to know that she was against it. 

Rey’s sight began to blur as she cried to this woman. 

“Stay calm,” she said, lifting the room’s phone now. Rey watched her press in five numbers, gaining a neverending ring. Minutes, it had to have been minutes at least, had gone by before a man had picked up the phone. “Who is this?” she asked, expecting an immediate answer.

“Who is this?” a man’s voice boomed from the other line. 

Rey’s nurse stayed firm, wanting the specifics of the rotation, something only their medical staff would know, and when the individual on the line couldn’t reassure her that he was there for care, the woman pressed Rey’s call button again to aid her in her inquiry. After long moments and a semi heated argument, Rey finally heard who it was on the line. 

“N-no, it’s just Earl. It’s my husband’s employer, my parent’s bodyguard. He can be the only one that sees Clyde. Please, please promise me that no one else will.”

Dutifully, her nurse sent the confirmation that he’d been able to stay, and to deny any other visitors, no matter what their claim. 

With that another nurse holding a white sterile pack came in with the doctor’s orders. 

“W-what’s that?” Rey asked cautiously.

“A sedative.”

A silent conversation bloomed between them, raging on like the battle search and rescue was playing out just beyond the walls of this medical sanctuary. 

“No one besides your parents will be allowed to see you, my dear. And your guard has been stationed outside your door since you’ve been in our care.”

“My guard is Clyde!” Rey fought back the intense need to make her way off the bed. She needed to be calm now. She needed that needle to stay away from her… she needed Clyde. His loving embrace would settle her. 

“Mhmm,” she hummed, her hands outstretched for the pack. “You have a woman in body armor outside your door. Average height. Dark hair, ready to fight to the death for you, just beyond that door frame. I’d say that’s as good of protection as any.”

“How long…”

“Has she been there? Well, she just took over for a man who was looking to do the same.”

“Who allowed Stephen’s entry, then?”

“I’m sorry dear. I really don’t know. I can have someone look it up if it will settle you, but for your safety, we’re going to need you to trust us.” 

With that, the woman opened the pack, set her up and knocked her out. 

. . . 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Rey got sleep on her own. Well, it wasn’t exactly her own. Sleeping with Clyde calmed her considerably, being without him, well, fear caressed her unconsciousness in such a way it could control every aspect of her life. But waking up to an empty room that evening had her less frightened than she had been in years. A drug did that, Rey reminded herself. And with it, her need to see Clyde grew all over again. 

Her nurse came back to her, assessing the man in the corner before reporting on Clyde. 

“Mrs. Logan,” she started, and the man sat up more to watch the interaction. “Your husband is in recovery. The shrapnel that had penetrated his body did grave damage to his arm, resulting in an amputation just below the elbow.” The rest of what she said barely reached her ears. Her man ...he gave… and gave of himself, just to protect her… Rey regretted herself for being the cause of his loss. It pained her to know he’d been injured because of her, and the urge to kiss him, to wash it away, built up inside of her. 

“Am I done with this?” she looked up at the deflated IV bag. 

“You need to keep that in until your doctor allows you to be discharged.”

Rey’s mind fizzled in frustration, her headache pounding just behind her eyes, and she fights the need to wince at her bruised ribs.

“Can you find out when that’ll be?” Rey looked back at her nurse, “please? I need to be with him.”

To that her nurse nodded, and told her she expected her to eat something within the hour. “You’ll need your strength if you’d like to heal.”

Rey could only blink back tears of frustration. There were significant answers on behalf of Clyde, but none specific to her. 

The male she couldn’t focus on before took her hand, causing the bandages to snag against each other. By then she noticed her body, pale through marbling reds bleeding into deep purples, marks her body had never seen scraped her skin that day. Rey swallowed her nerve, hushing her inner thoughts but only so well. What...what if Clyde saw them? What if… what if he didn’t want her anymore because of them? 

Her body began to tremble at the thought. 

A second hand clasped hers, rotating her arm just so, finding Rey’s tattoo under her wrist. He let out a steady sigh before speaking her name. 

“Rey? It’s me, your father.” Nigel choked on his words. His daughter was awake, that much he knew, but she was still so far away. 

Turning to him, Rey did her best to steel herself for whatever was to come. 

“I…” Nigel traced his thumb over the ink on her tattoo, “We’re so thankful you’re alright.”

“We?” Rey whispered.

“You’re mother’s here, too,” he nodded at the hall. “She’s handling her trauma as she always does. In anger. You’d think she was always being tortured,” he snorted. 

It was the truth. Rey couldn’t remember another time when she’d been her relaxed self, not now anyway. 

“What, um, what does this mean?” her father asked, his thumb gently swiping the pattern on her skin. 

Rey felt all the air rush out of her lungs when her father looked back at her. Her pulse quickened, and the little clamp on her pinky registered her accelerated heartbeat. His eyes still held her gaze in a way that told her he knew, and so she breathed, “darlin’.”

Darlin’ certainly confused Nigel, as he expected some word related to her secret, and yet it told him nothing. Well, nothing more than a word of adoration. Instead he persisted, “I know.”

Rey’s brow furrowed, “If you knew, why did you ask?” 

Her answer had Nigel wondering what she meant. 

“No, no. Not the tattoo, I didn’t know that. But I know about you and Mr. Logan.” 

Rey could feel her eyes widen, but she schooled the rest of her face waiting for the barrage - the anger of it all. 

“Life is too short, dear. I think we’ve all learned that today,” Nigel swallowed. “Does he love you?”

Her eyes welled up. “Yes. It’s unmistakable. He’s so very good to me. Kind, gentle, but strong in mind and body. I’ve never felt so safe. I know it’s his job - that I could have had anyone else, and that connection with them wouldn’t have been there. Clyde is special.”

Her father nodded.

“I’m happy for you then,” he said with a softness she hadn’t heard before. 

“I’m happy too,” she whispered. “But I’d be happier if I could get on with this and down to him.”

“Patience, sweetheart. Best not rush these things. Just promise me you don’t forget about your care. I’ll do what I can about getting a wheelchair, but this isn’t like a usual visit. So many are injured… so many…” he shakes his head.

. . . 

It’s been a day. A whole twenty four hours and then some, and while Rey battled with the thought of rushing out of her room to be by Clyde’s side, she knew she ran the risk of staying longer. She’d ruin the possibility of getting to her husband quicker, and that certainly couldn’t happen. And so she put Earl in charge of updating her. His status nearly always came back the same.

“He’s recovering. I’ll see if his doctor can visit with you, but I’m not in a position to tell you more.”

Those words. His tone. They brought her so much pain, but Earl was good to her. He knew. She felt it deeply when they’d speak, how much he was trying to protect the two, and Clyde’s job, but there was something more. It hung low within him, the slight twinkle in his eye turned matte as he balanced his emotion. 

“What aren’t you telling me, Earl?” she spoke softly. 

“Nothing I can tell you now.”

“What can you?”

His eyes held hers with the same weight he had before. Something was wrong. The turn of his head and shake of his cuffs made her feel wary, as if he was just going to leave her. Instead, voices she knew rang outside her doorway.

“Cut it out, Jess!” 

_ Jess… _

“Earl?” Rey suggested he let her in. 

“I best relieve Speedy,” Earl cleared his throat, sure footedly making his way to the door. 

“Let her in. I want to speak to my  _ friend _ .”

His curt nod and passing frame reclaimed his control as he moved. There wasn’t another word, just a look that passed between the two of them. A challenging one - the types Jess had been known for, and Earl’s, who met her glare for glare.

On the way in, Rey noticed Kaydel and Rose who managed their way back, shoved through the door as Jess entered. The girls both had an earful spill from their lips, but Rey was hyper focused on Jess. Her demeanor, the way she moved, Rey felt the need to be on high alert with her  _ friend _ , and that she would be until this whole situation about her identity had been straightened out. 

“I’m fine,” Rey answered their questions, one after another, wanting to know what happened, or if she heard anything. “No. Earl hasn’t been able to tell me anything. I just want to leave this room, get to Clyde. That’s all I want.” It was a lie. She didn't just want that, but the thought of finally getting to him put her heart at ease in such a way she didn't mind saying it. The matter of Jess though, remained. 

Both Rose and Kaydel promised her that her brother and sister were fine, and that they were accompanied by the other guards. Speedy, however, followed them out and back to the hospital making sure that they got there safely. 

“Speedy is the scariest driver I have ever ridden with! I mean, I will be walking for the rest of my life,” Kaydel announced.

“It’s true. He had to pry Kaydel off of the street when they made it back to your house. I think he thought she was dead,” Rose looked over her shoulder at Kaydel, who was rounding Rey’s bed to hold her hand. “It wasn't until you clung to a clump of pavement to stay down, that he figured it out, I’m sure.”

The very thought of Kaydel doing just that didn't surprise Rey. In fact it made her smile, then laugh, something she missed doing, but then there was pain. Enough pain to remember her ribs - and so she settled back down against her pillow, asking them to stop.

“Where were you in all of this?” Kay happened to ask Jess, who remained motionless against the wall in front of Rey’s feet. 

“She was with me,” Rey started. Kaydel’s setup was perfect. She just needed to nudge this one along. It came without warning, not even a question she could get out before Rose asked the one sitting on her tongue.

“How did you know?”

Jess’ concern barely showed, she’d been the best in the craft of keeping calm in such confrontations. Instead she started with her own question, “How did I know what?”

Rose cocked her head to the side, unamused with her friend’s question. “Oh, I don't know, maybe the threat? The bombs would have been nice to know about? Or, oh! Maybe giving a heads up about how you knew there was a problem? Are you one of them? Like, oh my God! Are you a spy!?”

Jess’ brow bent a little as she digested the questions that spewed out of Rose’s mouth. Then she glanced around at the other women's eyes and asked, “Do you not watch action films? You know where they play out exactly this? An important figure goes out and someone’s always on the attack? Have you not realized this is your life, Rey? I know you haven’t, Rose. You’re disconnected from your roots and it shows.”

“Excuse you!?” 

“You heard what I said. The three of you have your heads in the clouds. I said it, didn’t I say it? And you gave me the most backwards excuse for not protecting yourself, yet you have bodyguards. How does that make any sense to you? Let me put this body shield between me and the danger instead of a fucking piece of body armor, so much sense… it makes so much sense.”

Jess’ words hit Rey hard. It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but truly a thought she couldn’t help crossing to. She put the love of her life through so much danger, and she never once thought to wear the armor. Never did it enter her mind. But then her questions followed, “What did you see? If you’re blaming this on our negligence, and all, I want to know what made you keen to it.”

To that Jess nodded, “I don’t like heights. I never have. I can’t keep my eyes off of the ground even while I’m up high. I was watching the crowd and begging the divine spirit to keep me safe while you yammered on about whatever it was, and that’s when I started noticing suits weaving their way through the stadium. No one batted an eye, but then they came out the final time and looked up at us. I’ve never, in all my life, felt so seen. Their eyes were frighteningly focused, and it was over for me. If nothing happened, Lizzy would have had a reason to banish me from your family functions… but the fucking floor fell! Do you get that!? The - it - I just dont even know how to explain,” Jess blinked her eyes as if she had been slapped.

“I think that's the most I’ve ever heard you speak,” Kaydel teases. 

“Not now,” Rose warns. “So, you don't like heights and saw the bad guys. 

“There wasn't just men, though. I was quite sure there was a shapely person between them, but it was mostly men.”   
  
“So, these people you saw…”

“Rose, I swear to God, I might beat you. I know what I saw!”

“Why were you the only one to react then?””

“Because you were stuffing your face and lounging around—“

“But that’s my point! How did you know to look, to dress like that? It couldn’t have just been movies!”

“What are you saying? You think I’m involved?” 

The room went silent, not even the beeping monitors had registered to them. 

“I’m not,” Jess confirmed. “I’m just trying to get along with my own fears. I figured someone like you, Rey, would understand.”

It hurt, hearing that from her. The way she said it, the way her eyes dropped to the floor..

“I might not have nightmares like you, but I know enough to protect myself when I feel threatened.” Jess let her last statement hang between them. There were no more words. No more looks… there she stood at the end of Rey’s bed like a reprimanded soldier.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” Kaydel moved from Rey’s side to hug the woman in question.

“I’m not being dramatic,” Jess refused to raise her arms to hug her back, to which Rose rolled her eyes. 

“Yes you are,” Rose was rewarded with Jess’s famous eye roll and a sigh before hugging Kaydel back. “Now that that’s all straightened out… tell her what you found, Kay.”

“What?”

Rey sat up quickly, wanting to hear too. Maybe they saw Clyde. Maybe he was on his way up. 

“Well, when I was on the ground I found,” Kay pulled a bagged item out of her purse. 

There’s a large stone removed from a platinum setting, some fine wiring, and a small black dot that appears to be the smallest microphone Rey had ever seen. 

Her skin crawled the moment she saw it, remembering how Stephen slid such a thing on her finger, then claimed her. If that was truly the case - if it was in the one he’d presented to her, they needed to find out as soon as possible. She told Clyde how awful she felt for… for… 

“You don’t look so good, Rey,” Rose observed.

“I need someone to go back to Ithaca. I need you to check the boat. Please? It’s important.” Rey’s voice shook, and both Rose and Kaydel nodded. 

“What are we looking for?” Kay asked.

“A ring, just like that…”

. . .

Rey crept into the room quietly, not sure what to expect. She had to wait for her family and  _ him _ to leave, of course. The doctors had told her she would be going home in the morning to recuperate from her injuries - but all Rey wanted was Clyde. She hadn’t seen him for three days, since the pipe bombs had exploded and sent her world into chaos. Five innocent people had been killed, and hundreds more injured by the flying metal and ball bearings. If Clyde hadn’t pushed her down and covered her with his body, who knows if she would be amongst the dead right now?

The nurses and Earl had told her Clyde was badly injured and had required many surgeries in the last few days - and that as hard as the doctors had tried - they couldn’t repair the shattered bones and torn muscles and nerves in his arm, which had taken a large amount of damage from shrapnel. They had to amputate his left arm below the elbow, leaving him with a partial forearm.

Rey didn’t care. As long as Clyde Logan was alive, she would want to be with him. She loved the man more than anything on the planet, and she wanted him, wanted to be with him, the rest of her life.

Clyde was sleeping, his left arm heavily bandaged, and Rey had to stifle a cry when she saw his bruised and swollen face. Her man had done his job - protecting her - and had paid a horrible price for it. Looking back towards the door to make sure she was still alone with him, and smiling as she saw Earl give her a thumbs up from where he sat in the hall, playing watchdog for her, Rey moved closer to Clyde’s bed.

Rey settled into the hard plastic chair beside his bed, wincing as she jostled her injured ribs. She had spent the last two nights three floors above, recovering from a broken rib, a concussion and a bruised spleen, as well as cuts and scratches all over her body from flying debris.

She hadn’t cared about her recovery - she was only worried about Clyde. Luckily, Earl had kept her up to date with how he was doing - because her family only cared about her, only Nigel knowing that she and Clyde were far more than protector and protectee.

Reaching out with a shaking hand, Rey touched Clyde’s upper arm, her breath catching in her throat as tears spilled onto her cheeks. Earl had told her he was heavily medicated for the pain of his many injuries, and that he would be going home to America in a few days.

Looking at where his right arm lay motionless on top of the crisp white sheet, Rey moved her hand to his right forearm, tracing her fingers over the small tattoo he had added beside his Army Ranger one not that long ago - a small daisy. She could still remember his words when he’d shown it to her.

_ “It’s always gonna be there, darlin’. Indelible. Like the marks ya made on my heart. They ain’t never goin’ away, n neither am I. I’m yours for as long as ya want me, and even if ya decide to move on from me, I’ll still be lovin’ ya.” _

“Oh Clyde,” Rey said quietly, moving her fingers from his arm to brush away a lock of hair that was hanging over his forehead. Leaning in, she placed a kiss on his forehead, looking up as Earl stepped into the room.

“He loves you,” Earl said, looking at his old friend and sighing. “The first thing he said when he woke up was your name, you know. When we were pulling him off you and he came to for a few seconds. He was fighting us at first, thinking we were trying to get to you to hurt you.”

“I love him, too. I… I know we weren’t supposed to fall in love, but we did. And now… now he’s paid the price for loving me,” Rey sniffled, another tear trailing down her cheek as she looked at Clyde.

“He was doing his job, Rey. He was doing what any of the other guys would do. We all go into it knowing we might not go home. We were trained for it. I know you’re feeling guilty, but he’s going to need you to be strong for him when he wakes up again. I imagine he’s going to push you away as he deals with the mental shitstorm in his brain. Just stay strong… if you really love him, don’t give up, understand?” Earl put his hand on her shoulder, and Rey nodded.

“I won’t. I’ll never give up on him. Earl...I… I think Stephen had something to do with this.” Rey looked up at Earl, her eyes narrowing in anger. “I don’t trust him, Earl. He’s… I can’t explain it. He makes my skin crawl, and the way he looks at me - like I’m his  _ possession _ .” Rey shuddered.

“We’re looking into everything, Rey. We will get this figured out. Now, you and I need to talk about your security from now on. I need to assign a new guard to you.”

“No, you’re not. Clyde is my guard. I’ll have no other.” Rey’s voice was steely, and her eyes drifted back to Clyde. “He can protect me even with one arm. He’ll always keep me safe.”

Earl scrubbed his face wearily. “I don’t have a choice, Rey. Clyde isn’t your guard anymore. He’s going to be sent home as soon as he’s able to fly again.”

Rey set back in her chair, her hand coming to rest on Clyde’s upper arm gently. “Well, then, guess I’ll be on that flight with him.”

Earl just shook his head as he left the room, leaving Rey to once again sit a quiet vigil with her still sleeping man. She was shaken at how close she had almost come to losing him.

Rey was still sitting in the same spot when Earl knocked gently two hours later. “Rey? Your mom is looking for you. She says you have to get ready for the press conference regarding the attack.”

Rey nodded, wiping her eyes and choking back even more tears. Standing, she leaned over and kissed Clyde’s forehead, whispering a soft “I love you,” before exiting the room.

….

A tall man came to Clyde’s bedside. Along with him had been an equally tall blonde nurse, neither of which looked Rey in the eye. They both looked frazzled by the sudden influx of patients, but who wouldn’t be?

Clyde’s doctor’s voice had been throaty, clearly over used, and while he looked as though he was just about ready to throw in the towel, his green eyes met Rey’s hazel ones. 

“Relation to the patient?” His eyes flicked to her hands, noting there was no band on her finger either. 

Rey’s mother could be heard in the hallway, trying to show love and compassion with others, the very kind she forgot how to show to her own blood. Rey did her best to listen to where her mother might be, but the doctor cleared his throat again, telling his extra set of hands that she would need to remove the person - they would have to remove _ her _ from the room. 

“That,” she held up her hands to the nurse pursuing her, “won't be necessary. I’m Mrs. Logan, Clyde’s wife.” 

One clack of a heel was met with another sharper one at the threshold of Clyde’s door. Rey wasn’t fast enough. Her mother had heard her utter those words, the ones to the nurse to allow her clearance with her man. Elizabeth’s eyes bore into her own, making Rey wonder what the deal was with looking that deeply into another’s soul. It was as if they were all ready to pin her down as the reason for the tragedy that swept the city. Someone needed to be named for it, and the First Order hadn’t laid claim yet, which meant anyone could have been at fault. 

“Do you have any paperwork to back up your claim? I have to ask, because you aren't wearing a ring,” the nurse asked, followed by the doctor’s nod. 

“We didn't buy  _ bands _ . A wedding ring only acts as a  _ symbol _ , a memory of what you’ve done. My husband keeps all of his documentation with him. If you absolutely must, check his wallet!” Rey hissed.

Her answers only fueled her mother’s rage. 

Elizabeth began to speak over the doctor’s assessment, only to be removed by the nurse. She banged on the door and threatened them to open up so that she could have a word with her daughter, to which the nurse rolled her eyes. 

Meanwhile, Clyde’s doctor had gone over all of his obvious injuries, and the care that would be required. Of course, she couldn't see herself away from her man. She watched herself from afar, tending to his wounds, loving him the way a wife should, being there for him even if he finds his lowest point now without part of his arm. 

“Once this is healed completely he will need to go for physical therapy, and mental rehabilitation is a must with such things. It will be a trying time, Mrs. Logan, but your support is the difference.”

“Yes, Doctor. Will you have a list of physicians he can see? We’re from America.”

Bewilderment crossed the man’s face. It had been known the Prime Minister’s family was indeed, from London, and to hear that she wasn't was certainly a shock. 

Finally able to pull the door out of the nurse’s grasp, Rey’s mother stomped back into the room demanding that everyone remove themselves at once. 

“You can stand outside the door, or find my husband for all I care,” she addressed Earl through her teeth. 

“Don’t let her talk to you like that,” Rey challenged. “You don't have to leave, Earl,” to which Earl remained in the room, ready to act if this got out of control.

“It has nothing to do with him! And I am furious with you!” Elizabeth spat. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

“Yes,” Rey growled, pushing back at her mother. “I married for love, not power like you!”

Ringing in her ear took over all sound, a crisp white light flashed behind her eyes, followed by the sting and blooming warmth on Rey’s cheek. Earl was quick to move between the two, his form pulling the cool air around him like a barrier between the two angry women.

“Give up, mother, you’ve lost. I’m happy with my life,” she paused, looking everywhere but at her mother, who could only snarl like a wild dog. “I’m sorry you aren't with yours. But you’re done controlling me.”

Elizabeth’s fury altered just slightly, “Controlling you? I’m not controlling you,” the woman had the audacity to look hurt, sheepish even.

“Huh,” Rey couldn't help but laugh in her face. “Are you for real? You’ve been forcing Stephen down my throat for years. You and dad… you never listened. You never tried to hear me. That man,” Rey shook her head. “That man lies to your face, he works you like a puppet, and you let him. Why?”

Footsteps rang out in the hallway, but none stopping in their doorway. 

“I don’t,” Rey sniffled, “I don’t understand. You’re my mother, aren’t you? Why don’t you love me enough to hear me?”

Her mother’s mouth opened and shut several times before deciding to change the subject. 

“How long has this been going on? She asked evenly. 

“You aren’t listening to me even now…” Rey shook her head in disbelief. “Why don't you just go? Do whatever it is you do, and kiss some asses to get what you want. That's what you’re good at…”

“Oh good, I’ve been looking for you all morning.” Nigel informed the women and Earl, looking once more over the situation unfurling in front of him. “What happened here?” Nigel asked warily. 

“Oh nothing, just finding out your peace treaty is married. Did you know about this?” Rey’s mother leaned her anger into her question. 

“Peace treaty?!” Rey scowled at the woman. “I’m not yours, am I? Which means you either stole a child at birth, or they switched me with another child, or the two of you had an affair and you’ve been trying to pass me off as a bartered trade ever since. Do you realize how wrong that is?” Her father came up beside her to put her hand in his. “Get off of me! You may as well have sold me!” 

Both Nigel and Elizabeth argued over her, all the while cementing Rey into this new life with Clyde. He was her knight and he’d always be. Rey rolled away from her parents to take to sitting next to her man, promising him as she laid her head on his chest, “You’ve got me, baby, for better or worse.” She let his breathing steady her there as Earl did his best to push the argument outside. “Try as they might, they’ll never have what we do, never break our bond. We’ll always have each other. Always,” she pressed kisses onto his chest, where ever she could reach, praying for the moment he’d open his eyes again.

. . . 

Silence stretched over the flight back. No one spoke unless it was to comfort the other about the usage of the secondary plane Rey expected them to use. Panic swirled around each of them at unexpected times, each with another reason to fear being on her family’s designated aircraft. 

“Devastation  _ did _ follow her, didn’t it?” Kay asked. “It wasn’t just me who noticed it, right?”

“Nothing’s going to happen to this plane then,” Rose countered.

“But what if it does? What if they think…”

“We don’t even know who _ they _ are,” Rose challenged. 

“It doesn’t matter who it is!” Jess hushed them. “First Order? _ Ronald McDonald _ ? Does it matter?”

Both Rose and Kaydel stared at her.

“What matters now is what we’re doing to rectify this. And what’s that? Can ya tell me?”

“It’s not going to matter much if were blown from this tube into the ocean, will it?!” Kay stood up to defend the fear biting just beneath her skin.

Jess craned her neck to look up at the woman who was clearly losing her mind. 

She had a point. They were using the Prime Minister’s aircraft, they were just in a war zone of sorts, and being blown up once was enough to be scared shitless, not to mention how many other times they escaped by the skin of their teeth. The woman was right for being scared, but this wasn't the time to show her that even Jess herself had been worried.

“Well,” she started, her tone even, “I guess we're just going to have to figure out how to survive that too then,” Jess confirmed. At their silence she continued, smirking as she’s been known to, “I’m sure Rose here will make an excellent boat.”

“ _ What in the hell _ ?” Kay started.

“ _ Boat _ ? Do I look like a boat to you?” Rose’s hip swayed to the side, her hand raised up in the air to snap her fingers and wave her hand as if she truly was a soul sista. 

This action always made Jess snort, but instead she’d delivered her response, “No, but you do look like a Mayflower.”

Rose groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation, trying to avoid eye contact with Jess at all costs. It wasn't easy staying off the woman’s radar. When Jess had her target set, said target would be going down with the ship in a manner of speaking, and that was certainly not what Rose wanted - imagine now being called both a flower and a boat in one foul swoop.

It wasn’t until the women arrived back in Ithaca that they started studying the home, claiming monetary prizes for finding suspicious items or spyware around the property at first. It quickly turned into an exchange of time and services that ranged anywhere from doing laundry, to manning the books, writing each other’s papers, to something that was far more entertaining - Getting Jess a date. 

“You guys are horrendous,” Jess confirmed, plucking another miniature speaker from the soil of an indoor potted plant. “Ya know, I thought they said they combed this place.”

“Anything to change the subject!” Kaydel called over her shoulder. 

“No really, I’m serious, I have nearly ten bags. What do you have?”

“Six, and Rose is outside headed to the boat.”

Her eyes narrowed as Jess’ did. Then both of them pocketed their loot to run down to the dock where Rose would be. Neither shouted. Jess looked around them, towards the sky, while Kay kept her eyes wide, searching for suspicious activity.

“ _ Where’s your bullet proof vest now _ ?” Kay asked, borderline teasing her. 

It wasn’t funny though. Instead of faking a smile or laugh just to appease the woman, Jess pulled a handgun out of her bag and pointed it right above Kaydel’s head, warning her not to say another word. 

BANG!! 

Her piece sounded, echoing off of the trees and screaming across the lake. 

Kaydel fell to the ground, cowering at the sound, but swore - a string of profanity that would put any sailor to shame. 

Another round sounded and her third came down the barrel sounding far harder than the rest.

“ _ What in the fuck _ ?” Kaydel screamed as she whipped around to see Jess’ target for herself.

A rather large drone dropped at the shore line, to which Jess shouted at Kaydel not to advance. 

“Just who in the fuck do you think you are?!” Kaydel growled as she stomped over to Jess. “Where did you even get that?!”

The woman ignored Kaydel entirely and moved forward like a cop from those shows the three watched, the barrel of her gun pointed low as she advanced over the land and up to the sputtering machine. 

“How’s your robotics, princess?” she called over her shoulder, her foot sweeping the thing from it’s belly to its back to check for weaponry. 

“That’s not,” Kaydel answered, then started moving closer to Jess, who locked the safety back in place before putting her own security back in her bag. “Answer my question!”

Jess sighed, “I will. But not out here.”

“And why not? You sure as hell didn’t have any trouble nearly killing me!”

“You’d be in more danger crossing a busy street than you’d be with me shooting near you, princess.”

“Don’t call me princess,” Kaydel growled. 

“Stop acting like one then.” Jess replied flatly.

“Guys?” Rose’s call sounded faint, but then she popped out of the boat house. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I want to know,” piped Kay. 

“Did you find it?” Jess ignored the girl, waiting for Rose to just answer the question. 

“Yeah,” Rose replied nervously. “What does this mean for us now?”

“We’ve got a shit-ton of work to do. That’s what. Bring it in, I’ll get this,” she motioned to the beaten machine.

. . . 

Back inside, the three combed the remainder of the home, finding a handful of the small devices before heading to the basement to discuss their loot. There the room had been set up like the first floor, completely furnished, because who didn’t need expensive furniture and handmade ornate rugs wherever they went? Marble lined bathrooms made their way down there too, all of which matched their home, but clearly looked like it was more suited for Nigel and the kids overall. It housed a significant game room, which both Kaydel and Rose clearly looked like they were dying to try out, complete with a pool and air hockey table, a few pinball machines and racing games. It made most of her family look normal, which was a thankful thought given how backwards they knew Lizzy to be. 

The room they picked, however, was a rumpus room, of sorts, with a long table showing off a line of football trophies both Nigel and his son had acquired over the years, all of which had been moved to the floor to pull into the middle of the room. Their light fixtures had been inlaid, but the best source came from a couple of gaudy chandelier’s overhead. The only trouble with them had been that they cast several slight layered shadows over the evidence, and so Jess used her quiet authority to get the girls to help each other take them down.

Once they were, Kaydel found herself in a position to demand Jess’ iminent reveal, “Spill the beans, Jess.”

“These aren’t beans.”

“You said…”

“I never said anything about beans.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“Then you agree. I don’t have beans.”

“Will you two shut it?” Rose sighed, photographing the pieces they found. “Where did you say this came from?” she asked, nodding at the drone. 

“Just over the boat house,” Jess said, giving nothing more away. 

Kaydel opened her mouth, only to shut it. The challenge was there. The command was silent, and her look was deadly. 

“Rose, we need to run an analysis to find out if any of these are still in working order,” she nodded at the bags. “Next we’ll need to go over the metal bird and see if it was communicating with these too.” Jess paused, while she studied a bag, then continued listing her needs. The last to follow finally came out as an order to Kaydel, “I also want DNA collected from each. Why don’t you start there, Cap?”

“Don’t call me Cap…”

“I can’t use your real name,” she eyes the evidence. “I shouldn’t have to explain this. It’s CO, Cap or princess if you must choose your own name…” 

While Kaydel hated to admit it, Jess was right. If those black things were speakers, and they did work in one way or another, using her real name would no doubt bring that evil back to them, and that was truly the last thing Kay wanted for anyone.

“Ugh, what do we call you then? Commander?” Kaydel rolls her eyes at the woman in front of her. 

“That’s got a nice ring to it,” Jess smirks, “but I’m feeling _ Squad Leader _ .” 

“Too many syllables,” Rose snorts. “How about squirrel?”

Kay sounds out squad leader once more and agrees. “Squirrel it is.” 

. . . 

In three weeks time the girls have gone from regular classes to online, while Rose had fully dropped out of her semester altogether. Her advanced level electro-engineering and mechanics labs she was in couldn’t support her switch - and when push came to shove the results of this project trumped what hypothetical scenarios could have in a heartbeat. 

This was more important. 

Rey was more important. 

The woman had gone through hell, was on the losing end of a war in love, and was losing herself in the process.Several times they had FaceTimed - until Jess put a nix on that. Their only communication was now on a secured line. The data they believed they had begun adding up only enough to have the conversation, but not enough to fully prove what they were looking for was enough to put the bastard away for life. 

Focused as she was, Rose found herself arguing more about her studies with Finn, which didn't help her decisions. Try as he did, her boyfriend couldn’t change her mind at all. He couldn’t keep her on the line while in class to avoid her dropping out either… it was just inevitable, which fueled his fire. 

“Rose, you need to tell me what’s going on. We can fix it. They just need a note. It can all go back,” Finn rushed out. 

“I appreciate your concern, Finn, but this is important.”

“What could be more important than finishing school with me? You said it yourself.  _ Nothing  _ comes over an education.  _ You’re the reason I stayed! _ ”

“Things have changed, Finn,” she sighed on the line.

“What’s changed, peanut?” Rose closed her eyes, listening to how hurt he sounded by this. “It, this thing you’re working on, it’s not coming between us too, right?”

“No, of course not,” she shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her.

“Then why won’t you talk to me? Tell me what’s goin’ on?” Finn’s voice sounded raw, begging for anything here, to which Rose sniffled. 

She knew she couldn’t, not without permission. Not without… Jess...

“That effin’?” Jess strode in to check progress, opening and closing her hand several times for the phone. 

This was a no outside contact zone. Speaking about their activities wouldn’t be tolerated, which Kay learned immediately after her mystery guy made it on Rey’s property. Jess was just on fire that night, as if Stephen had been there, leaving the girls to battle it out in a screaming match. 

Well, it wasn’t exactly that. 

Jess wasn’t one to ruffle her feathers too much. It was easier to control the situation with a shrug and some backassed comment than to raise her voice with the princess herself.

“ _ You’ll thank me someday,” Jess muttered _ .

“ _ Yeah? And when’s that? When I’m some old hermit without a family?” Kaydel fought her raging emotions to deliver that without losing herself in the moment. She truly enjoyed this guy, and losing him meant feeling lost herself. _

_ “When he’s not dead thanks to you…” _

_ “Why are you so dramatic?!” Kaydel screamed, her fingers spread open and curled like claws in frustration. _

_ “I could ask you the same, Princess?”  _

Rose shuddered at the memory. That night went dead on so many levels. The house felt insecure, a strange buzz of electricity filled the space to which she could also describe the pivoted anger towards each member there. It’s what allowed Jess to take the phone in the first place.

“Yeah,” Rose offered the device to her with the lift of her ear. 

Jess hadn’t backed down, taking the phone, and striking up a conversation with the girl’s boyfriend.

“‘Effin’, how you been?” she leaned into the conversation, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder as Rose did. 

“Are we really back to that?”

“We are…”

Finn sighed heavily on the receiver. “Fine,” he said.

“What do you want, ‘effin?”

“This doesn’t concern you, Jess,” he answered.

“Oh, I’m afraid it does. You see, things have changed, and you are not currently a part of the picture,” she said. Her words stinging the pair to the point of outrage. 

“Give me the phone, Jess,” Rose demanded.

“Jess. Give. Rose. Back. The. Phone,” Finn did his best to command her, too.

“Nah, I have a better idea…”

“Jess!” they both shouted. 

The woman hung up on Finn, then typed out a quick text, one with a question she purposely didn’t send to Rose her screen, and another one with coordinates for Finn to meet them. If he figured it out, she may reconsider him.

. . .

  
  


It’s been a month and a half, but the research and tests, coupled with Finn’s extensive knowledge in telecommunications set them up tenfold. Talk about him being an asset to the team quickly switched his name from ‘effin’ to ‘asshat’ because he just wouldn’t let it go. 

“Asset does not sound like ass-hat,” Finn pronounced the words properly for them to hear. 

“Sure it does,” Kay assured him. 

“Nah, Nah… you’re only hearing ass, there’s more to the “huh” sound in hat,” Finn continues, making a scene about it. Sounding out the familiar phonics that had gone along with the nickname they pushed on him. 

“You could just be ass,” Jess pointed out. 

“I don’t want to be ass!” he complained.

“You are though,” Rose grinned. 

“ _ Rose? You too? _ ”

“You aren’t  _ only ass _ though,” she giggled, her hand outstretched for his, “you’re my ass.”

“Oh that makes it much better!” He snorted.

“It should. Keeping you is all I’ve ever really wanted.”

“That’s bull-“

“It isn’t.” Rose interrupted. “It isn’t. Being a cop is in my blood. I only changed majors to follow you through school.”

Finn snorted. 

“It’s true… all of it,” Jess added. “If she knew anything about football, she would have joined the team to follow you.”

Finn turned back to Rose, lifting both of his eyebrows to his girl, “it’s the spandex, isn’t it?”

His question made Jess motion to gag, while Rose agreed. 

“It’s clearly the spandex.”

“I knew it!”

It was true, they were a match made in heaven, Jess rolled her eyes at that, but she had no intention of letting the boy know she entirely approved, yet. They still had this mission to go through, and at best, Finn still managed to let his immaturity fly while this situation was anything but a video game. Players didn’t just respawn. This… this was war.

“Everyone in?” Jess asked her rhetorical question, which all of them happened to roll their eyes at the same time. “Good. We’re going to bring Rey in, nice and gentle, okay?”

Hums of approval filled the space, and everyone sat up and forward with their elbows on the table, wondering who would get to talk first. Of course it was Jess, “Line secured, go ahead.”

Rey’s image loaded, and everyone gasped. She looked like a shadow of herself. Gone. Like she was just barely there. It wasn’t the image, it was just her. Stress had been an overwhelming evil that began to break her down far past the trauma she’d experienced during the attacks. Her presence no longer held a glow, which made her look fragile overall. Her hair, while clean, looked ratty, her skin, far lighter than her usual soft radiance, her eyes were dulled and purple rings of exhaustion laid over the red rims of her eyes. They too had been faded given the makeup she tried to apply. But the very fact of the matter was, Rey was dying inside, and it showed.

“Rey? What  _ happened _ to you?” Rose asked, covering her mouth with both hands. 

Rey closed her eyes and tightened her lips, pressing them into a firm line, before shaking her head. 

“Do I need to kick someone’s ass? Because you know I  _ will _ ,” Jess crossed her arms across her chest waiting for the go ahead. 

“For the first time in my life, I agree with you Jess,” Finn stated, gaining him a side glance.

“You haven't this whole time?” 

“Not in the least,” he shook his head. “You’re a wacko.”

Rey’s gaunt, discolored face lit up slightly, the corners of her lips quirking upward to release a small bubble of laughter, which lightened the mood ten fold. Her eyebrows lifted easily, morphing her lightened state into a slightly less stressful one. 

“It’s been a while. H-have you found it? The ring? Was it? Did it?” Rey couldn't stop her fragmented speech, her thoughts garbling her train of thought entirely. 

“That it has. You may want to sit down for this, Rey,” Jess led the conversation. 

When Rey showed she was, Jess began to give her the news, showing her around the DNA sampling Kaydel managed to do for all the suspicious pieces they’d found. “We did find that a lot of them were truly collected balls of lint or caps to speaker systems that could have been worn as wires. It would explain why they were found all over the house, and why they had been looked over until now,” she nodded at Kaydel to continue. 

“What the testing showed was that multiple users had touched each item. The ones here had far too many to decipher, which means more than one had been handling them at once. We, however, don’t have these people on record, which certainly means that they aren't family, and can entertain the thought that if they were part of Stephen’s entourage, that they are cycled through.”

“What does that mean?” Rey asked. 

“What it means is Stephen could have an exuberant amount of bodyguards around him, both on foreign soil and back at home. There is a huge possibility that he could be changing them out as he sees fit - which would explain why we don't have anything on them.” Rey nodded at Kaydel’s hypothesis. 

“So, what does that mean for me… er… us? Sorry,” Rey looks away from the screen, listening intently to incoherent sounds. “Sorry,” Rey apologized again. 

“Right now it means making a file and keeping it safe. We need more samples, but I have a feeling these are just on record for now.”

“Okay,” Rey sounded deflated. It was hard hearing these turn of events, only to find that she wouldn't be able to do anything with it. For so long she wanted to storm in and send that womanizing bastard right to jail on charges that he couldn't find a loophole to, and yet it seemed like she truly wouldn't be.

“These three; however,” Kay started, grabbing Rey’s attention once more. “These communicate with this chip, that was found in this drone hovering over your property.”

Rey gasped at the size of the shell. It had taken up most of the table. Never once seeing something of that size stalking the property made her jump from the screen as if it could get her. “What? How? How? How did you…” Rey trailed. 

“Oh! You want to answer that, Jess?” Kay pushed. 

“It malfunctioned,” she said flatly. 

Kay tried to hold in her frustration, while Rose picked up where she left off. She made her way around the back of the item, pressing a few of the mechanisms to each other, filtering in a low buzz similar to the one an old stereo system would do before they could play music. Then Rose began to explain what was happening. 

“So long as it kept the signal with the drone, these wireless speakers could honestly go anywhere and signal back as often as it needed. What we don't know is just how long they were here and what it truly picked up on.” Rose sighed. “What I don't understand is where your recorded information had reported back to, that is, unless it’s all recorded in the body.”

“It’s doubtful they would. If they were smart, they would have it relay to a server,” Finn added. “That; however, would need to be under constant surveillance. Which means even if we could track the signal to the source, we still won't be able to get the recordings unless we take them out, provided its a person. Or multiple people.”

Rey shook her head, trying to weigh what they truly had. 

“So we have a lot of hypotheses… Nothing we can truly use?” 

The group looked around at each other while the words stung the party. 

By way of the evidence they had shown her already, they had nothing. Nothing usable at least. That is, until Jess started speaking.    
  
“That’s not entirely true,” she said, leaning in with her arms folded still. 

Rey both loved and hated being right. The ring had been a sick way to keep tabs on her, and due to Jess’ review of the item, she linked it back to Bazine, and furthermore, to find out about every woman the monster ever claimed to own over his lifetime. Claimed to own… those words stuck out to Rey like an infected wound. Several other pieces of information filtered in through their weekly calls, confirming the drone had been linked back to its creator, and during a service call, he had been all too giving to explain the nature of this custom created mechanical terror.

“So what you’re saying is, we could actually get him? Rey asked, trying to control herself.

“What I’m saying is, we need a plan and to be willing to do what’s needed in the event that the position presents itself.”

“And what is that, exactly, Jess?” Finn questioned. “What exactly are four students going to do about the potential terrorist at large?”

“We… are going to need a little more help,” she side eyed the boy. “And you are going to need to trust me a little more, or you can stay home.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


. . . 

Clyde sat on the couch in his house, staring at the television as his mind tried to pull him back to thoughts of Rey. 

He missed her something fierce. It was like he had lost for more than just his hand and part of his arm in the explosion - he’d lost his heart. 

Still, Clyde knew she was better off without him. She needed a strong man, a man who could protect her. Not some banged up handicapped man who could barely get through a day without wanting to fall to his knees and weep. Not a man who cringed at the sound of a car backfiring, or wanted to dive for the ground every time any loud sound happened.

He was broken. Physically, mentally… in all ways, really.

Rey deserved a man who was whole, who didn’t bear the scars he did.

But oh, how he loved her. He had promised to love her the rest of his life, and he would. He would love her from afar, hoping and praying that she found closure, that she found someone else who could make her happy in life. He just knew it couldn’t be him.

He pulled the box from his pocket once more, opening it and setting it on the end table next to him. He had bought the ring in London a few days before the explosion, after seeing it listed on the internet for sale. The moment he had seen the delicate diamond and emerald piece, fashioned to look like a daisy - he had known it was the ring he would put on Rey’s finger as soon as they could be open about their marriage to everyone. Sure, it would have to wait for a while, but Clyde had known it would happen, as sure as the sun coming up every morning. They couldn’t keep their bond a secret forever, especially not when Elizabeth was still pushing that slimeball Stephen at Rey.

Now, all he could do was stare at it, and let it serve as a stark reminder of what he would never have again. At the time he bought it, he had been full of hopes and dreams of a future and a family with his wife.

That had all ended with one horrific afternoon.

He heard the front door to his house start to open, and Clyde reached out, closing the lid of the box and placing it back in his pocket quickly.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw his sister walk into the room - with Rey behind her. It’d been about a month and a half since he’d laid eyes on his love in the flesh, and it took everything inside him not to stand and go to her.

“Look who I ran into, Clyde! I think ya might know this gal here, since ya got that tattoo for her n all… hell, word on the street is that ya even married her. At least that’s what her passport is sayin’!” Mellie came to stand in front of her older brother, smiling at him like she’d done him a favor. Clyde simply grunted in reply, finally speaking.

“Ya mind steppin’ ta the side, Mel? I was tryin’ to watch this show.” Clyde tucked his stump behind his back, not wanting Rey to see the scarred and mutilated flesh.

“No, ya ain’t. Yer sittin’ here feelin’ sorry for yerself, when I got Rey standin’ here behind me, still wantin’ to be a part of yer life. I am standin’ here until ya at least look at her and acknowledge her presence.”

Clyde looked up, hair hanging in his face as he looked at Rey for the first time in over a month, and she stopped breathing at the sadness and anguish she saw in her man’s eyes. He  _ needed _ her, now more than ever - and Rey was not giving up on him. She would sit in his house, just being present, until he decided to talk to her.

The last six weeks had been hell for her. She could barely sleep, and had barely eaten - despite Rose, Kay and Jess practically shoving food at her every chance they got. Jess had threatened to drive to Boone County to  _ kick his ass, and maybe some sense, into him _ \- as she had said to Rey with a wicked grin on her face.

If anyone would have done just that - it would be Jess.

Rey had tried contacting Clyde, but she had left message upon message until his mailbox was full, and every single text went unanswered. She couldn’t accept his last words to her back in London:  _ Ya need to move on, Rey. Find someone who ain’t banged up. A whole man who can take care of ya. That ain’t me no more. I’m sorry, but this is goodbye. _

Rey smiled at him, giving him a tiny wave with one hand as Mellie stepped to one side. 

“Why don’t ya have a seat right there on the couch with Clyde, Rey? I’ll see ta gettin’ somethin’ around for lunch. I just went grocery shoppin’ yesterday for both our houses.” Mellie left the room, still chattering away as she moved into the kitchen, and Rey slid onto the couch next to Clyde, looking around the room for a moment. This was her first time in his house since Christmas, and it looked just as perfect to her now as it had then.

In a low voice, Rey said, “I’m not accepting that answer, Clyde. The one you gave me in London? This isn’t the way our story ends. I’ve transferred all my classes to online, and will be doing any internships in this area. I love you, Clyde, and I know you still love me, as well. Remember when you told me you’d always love me, because your love for me was indelible, like our tattoos? Remember our vows to each other when we got married? I do. Every one of them. You can keep shutting me out, that’s fine. But I am not giving up, and I am not leaving.”

Clyde didn’t answer, even though Rey noticed his face coloring, and the way he set his lips, pressing them into a fine line. Clyde had never lied to her, and she knew that if he told her he didn’t love her anymore, she would believe him. But he hadn’t said that. 

And so, she would persist. She would be stubborn, and omnipresent. Everywhere Clyde Logan went, Rey would go, too. She would show him that she didn’t care if he was broken, if his body was fractured and torn - because she loved him - inside and out, no matter what. She would show him she was in it for the long haul, and that she would always be there for him, no matter what he needed.

Mellie reappeared with a plate of food, handing it to her brother. Clyde just stared at her for a moment, finally pulling his broken arm from behind him with a low huff, the color in his face getting even darker now. He stared straight ahead at the television, and Rey settled back into the couch, sharing a look with Mellie.

This wasn’t going to be easy - but it’d be worth it.

….

Clyde did his best to function after coming home. He went to doctor’s appointments. He went to physical therapy appointments. He steadfastly  _ refused _ to accept any therapy, however. He knew he was fucked up, he didn’t need to sit in some chair and have some therapist try to make him believe they gave a shit.

He needed Rey. He wanted Rey. His  _ wife. _

Clyde put a hand up to clutch at the golden dog tag hanging around his neck, closing his eyes and picturing Rey’s face. It helped to calm him, thinking about her. 

Just two months ago, they’d been happy. They’d talked about their hopes for the future together, about settling into their house in Boone County - the very house he now sat in - and starting a family, travelling, and doing good in the world. He had pictured their future children in his head, beautiful babies with eyes like their mothers.

One afternoon had changed everything, leaving him scarred and broken - and not the man Rey needed as her husband.

He was just going to have to live with a memory, Clyde supposed as he clutched at the cool metal with his hand. He knew Rey would find her way in life. She was fierce, intelligent and beautiful. He would put the ring away that he had bought her in London, and maybe he’d forget all about it as time went on. It was hard for him to imagine anything positive happening now - his life had been one big possibility until those explosions - and now all he saw was pain and darkness.

But oh, how he missed her. He thought about her every day, every minute, really. His family tried to cheer him up, did their best to keep him occupied, but Clyde felt like he was lost in the world now. London had taken so much from him. His arm, his career, his wife… his future - his very happiness.

The front door opening brought his eyes from the television to the door, and he sighed as he saw his sister. Focusing back on the television, his mind numb and dazed from the pain medication he had been given to take. He didn’t like taking them, but sometimes he needed to when the pain in his arm got too bad.

When she moved out of the way to expose his wife, Clyde tried to keep his expression neutral, even though every ounce of his being wanted to jump up and go to Rey. She looked tired, but he was certain she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. Adjusting his arm behind his back, Clyde focused back on the tv, knowing that no matter what he was feeling inside - Rey deserved so much more.

….

  
  
  
  
  


Rey settled into her makeshift bed on Clyde’s couch, the usual ache settling into her heart and knowing her man was so close physically, yet so far mentally and emotionally still. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to her him say he loved her, or for him to even utter one ‘darlin’ at her. The tattoo on her wrist, the voice waves of him saying the treasured word to her, were a reminder to her, every moment, that Clyde was worth fighting for.

She didn’t see him as broken at all. She saw him as the strong, kind, loving man he always was - except now he needed her help. The explosion hadn’t just wounded his body - it had wounded his very  _ soul _ \- and it was up to Rey to help him mend. She would willingly be the glue that helped hold his heart and soul back together if he’d let her.

With a sigh, Rey put her earbuds in, turning on a playlist she had filled with music that reminded her of her man and what they had together. It wasn’t hard to remember the way she and Clyde were together - she saw reminders everywhere.

The tattoo on her wrist - which she had steadfastly refused to cover up any longer - no matter how hard her mother pushed her to, songs on the radio, the smell of snow in the air, reminding her of a small cabin tucked on a mountainside in West Virginia. She still mourned the loss of the anklet he had given her for Christmas, the familiar weight missing from around her ankle reminding her that the explosion had taken more than the jewelry from her.

It had taken her heart, as well. Of course, she had given her heart away a while back - to the tall, ruggedly handsome man who was sleeping in a room just down the hall. She wanted to feel his arms around her so badly, to hear his voice rumbling in her ear about how beautiful she was, and how much he loved her.

Rey couldn’t hold in the sobs that overtook her, shaking free from her body with a muted cry of anguish. Somehow, she would find a way to make Stephen pay for everything he had done, and she would also make it clear to her family that she was going to be with Clyde for the rest of her life. 

They had made vows to each other, after all. While she hadn’t been able to wear a wedding ring - Clyde was her husband, and being his wife was a title she took seriously.

Clyde lay in his bed, clenching his fist again and again as he tried to resist the urge to go to her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Having her so near and yet so far was torture - but he would remain steadfast until she gave up. Eventually she would realize he wasn’t the man he had been. He could no longer protect her, could no longer keep her safe like she needed.

Seeing her again had made the ache inside him become almost too much to bear. She had sat beside him all day, quiet and steadfast, talking to Mellie and Jimmy when they were there. Otherwise, it was just them and the television. Clyde had made sure to watch the shows she liked - he might know that he wasn’t the man for her anymore - but there was no reason she had to be bored.

He had watched her reach out to him as they sat together on several occasions, pulling her hand back as she realized that her touch might not be welcomed by him any longer. Quite the opposite - actually. Clyde  _ craved _ her touch, but he would never allow himself to feel that again. It would make things easier when she left again. If he gave in and let her touch him, his resolve would crumble like a dilapidated brick wall, falling to pieces around him.

_ She was crying _ \- heart wrenching sobs that made his heart shatter in his chest. Clyde knew he was the cause of her tears, of her distress. He knew she had reached out to him after that last day in London, when he sent her away. After the first day, Clyde had turned his phone off, not wanting to deal with her sadness and despair on top of his own.

It wasn’t exactly the best way to handle things, but Clyde had needed that clean break that having no contact with his wife gave him. He fell into a routine, and while it may not have been healthy, per se, it became familiar and comfortable.

Sighing, Clyde waited until Rey’s sobs had come to a stop before getting out of bed and creeping into the hall. He peeked around the corner, watching his wife as she slept on the couch, her pillow and face both wet with tears.

He had done this to her. He was the cause. He should be protecting her, should be making her smile - instead he was reduced to  _ this. _ A man with one arm. Half a man. He couldn’t even hold her properly now, couldn’t dance with her. He couldn’t do any of the things for her - with her - that he used to do.

No, Rey was better off without him.

She was beautiful, though, as Clyde watched her sleeping. He could vividly remember how she felt under his skin, how she tasted when they kissed. His hand clenched into a fist, but try as hard as he could, he couldn’t stop himself from moving towards the couch. Leaning down, Clyde prayed she didn’t wake up as he pressed a loving kiss to her cheek before pulling the blanket around her shoulders more. She always complained about being cold, and Clyde wanted her comfortable. It was the least he could do for her.

“I love ya, darlin’. That’ll never change,” he whispered into the darkness as he retreated back to his bedroom and the agony his own mind gave him.

….

They fell into a routine. Clyde would go about his day to day business - which included doctor appointments some days, physical therapy several times a week, and going to his bar every day. He was doing his best to keep it together, trying to find his new place in the world - and everywhere he went, Rey went as well.

She would do her school work in the mornings, always greeting him with a cheery smile when he made his appearance. He would nod at her before going into the kitchen and fumbling through making breakfast for both of them. Clyde would slide the plate across the table to her, doing his best to hide his mangled arm from her view.  _ He _ didn’t even like looking at it - why should he subject her to that horror?

Finally, one morning a couple of months after she had reappeared in his life, Rey had enough of him hiding his arm from her. “Stop it.” She almost hissed at him as he slid her plate across the table to her, his left arm tucked carefully behind his back and out of her view. Clyde simply raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue. “I know you think you’re protecting me from seeing it, Clyde. Your arm. But you need to stop. I am  _ not _ going anywhere.” 

Clyde just grunted, turning away and still keeping his arm tucked away. In a fit of frustration, Rey flung her plate off the table, sending it crashing to the floor, the contents flying across the kitchen floor.

Clyde spun around to look at her, his eyes wide in surprise, totally forgetting about tucking his arm away from her view. 

Sliding off her chair and rushing forward, Rey reached out, grabbing his injured arm and holding it gently in her hands, her eyes meeting and holding his. “I don’t care, Clyde. Look at me. I don’t care about your arm. That’s not who you are. This doesn’t define who you are as a man, or who we are as a couple.” Rey sighed before releasing his arm, watching as he tucked it away behind him again. “I just want my husband back, dammit.”

“He ain’t here no more, Rey. He’s gone.” Clyde turned and grabbed the broom, doing his best to sweep up the mess with his good hand. Finally, he threw the broom down in frustration, raising his voice for the first time in her presence. “I can’t even sweep my own damn floor no more, Rey! I ain’t the man ya need! Ya need a man who can protect ya, who can take ya fancy places and dance with ya and take ya fishin’... not some maimed half man who can’t even sweep his own damn kitchen floor!”

“I don’t care!” Rey shouted back at him. “I just want you, you stubborn jackass!”

Clyde just stood, looking at her for a long time before he turned, grabbing his keys and cellphone off the table before going to his truck and getting in. 

Rey tried to ignore the feeling of desperation at the sound of the door slamming and tires squealing out of the driveway as he left, hoping he would return soon.

….

It had been a month since their confrontation over breakfast, and Rey wasn’t sure if things would ever improve. Clyde did his best to stay busy and would leave in the morning after cooking her breakfast, not returning until she was tucked away in the spare bedroom. She had decided she would sleep there instead of the couch after a few nights of tossing and turning - now she was tossing and turning on an actual bed instead of a couch.

She wanted so badly to curl up next to him on the couch, though, or to even hear his voice as he talked to her. She  _ missed _ him, and she was beginning to wonder if she would have to live the rest of her life like this - in a silent orbit around the man she loved more than anything else.

All she got was silence. Oh, Clyde was there - but he was absent more often than not. When he was home, he did his best to ignore her most of the time, still insisting on hiding his arm and speaking in single syllables to her.

So, Rey did what she did best. She persisted. She did her school work. She spent time with Mellie, Jimmy, Sylvie and Sadie. She was  _ there _ , and when Clyde decided he needed her, he would come to her. She would be ready - because she loved him, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

She did miss her friends, though, texting and calling definitely wasn’t the same as seeing them in person, and Rey was curious about the little project she knew they were working on. She could only hope and pray that they stayed safe and managed to come up with something that would help them.

….

Clyde’s scream woke her from a dead sleep. It had been sharp, piercing the still night air as she heard him thrashing about in his bed. The next thing she heard, though, tore at her heart, threatening to tear it to pieces inside her vey chest. “Rey, oh Rey I am so sorry…”

Getting out of bed quickly, Rey made her way across the hall, not bothering to knock as she opened the door and stepped inside. Clyde had forgotten to turn the bedside lamp off, leaving the room bathed in a soft, yellow light. Her husband was thrashing on the bed, tears falling from his face onto the pillow.

He looked like he was in so much pain, even in sleep. Rey approached the bed, a small gasp leaving her lips as she caught sight of something sparking off the dim light. Inside an open box on the nightstand was nestled a delicate diamond and emerald ring, the cut of it made to look like a daisy. Rey knew Clyde had bought it for her, knew he had been holding onto it as a way to keep her close to him somehow.

Rey didn’t wait any longer as Clyde gave another anguished cry, sliding onto the bed next to her husband and wrapping her arms around him. “Clyde, sweetheart, I’m here… I’m here.” Rey burrowed herself as close to him as she could get, her own tears filling her eyes as she realized her strong, study husband had been crying so long his pillow was soaked with his tears.

This wasn’t the way their lives should have started together.

After a few moments, Clyde quieted, and her name ghosted off his lips as she stroked his hair. “Rey? W-what are ya doin’ in here?”

Rey didn’t answer at first, using her thumbs to wipe away some of his tears as she cradled his face in her hands. Finally, she whispered back, “I’m comforting my husband, the love of my life, since I made a vow to always be by his side no matter what.” Moving in closer to him, Rey kissed his forehead gently. “You’re hurting inside, and I want to help. Why are you pushing me away when you need me the most? You helped make me as strong as I am, so I can be the strength  _ you _ need to heal now. Why can’t you see that?”

Clyde didn’t say anything for a long time, simply blinking slowly as he tried to process his thoughts. They were swirling through his mind rapidfire, some telling him he needed to send Rey away again, that she could never possibly want a disabled, scarred man as her spouse, while the other half told him to let her help him - that her words were true and she wanted to help him heal.

“Rey,” Clyde finally spoke, his voice hoarse and raw from his tears. “Ya… ya should be sleepin’, not fussin’ over me.”

“Clyde… you need me. That’s more important than sleep… or anything else. Please… please don’t push me away. I couldn’t handle it again… I’m barely holding on now as it is. I need you, Clyde. I am not going anywhere. I want to be with you, I want to help you. Please let me.”

Her fingers combed through his hair as her eyes met his, her heart clenching as she saw the anguish in their chocolate depths. She had never seen Clyde so defeated, and she wanted to do whatever it took to soothe him.

“Sweetheart, you’ve taken such good care of me since the moment we met. You’ve sheltered me, protected me, shown me a whole new way of thinking, and you helped me see how strong I was. Now it’s time for you to let me show you some things as well.” Rey smiled at Clyde for a moment. Rey traced her fingers over his face gently, letting out a small sigh. “I love how strong you are, how I always feel safe with you. I love how you make me laugh, and how we always seem to know what the other is thinking. I love the way you look at me, like I am the only thing that matters to you in the universe. I love the way you touch me, the sound of your voice saying my name, or calling me darling. None of that has changed. None of that will  _ ever _ change for me. I don’t care about your injury, Clyde. I am furious it happened, furious that someone hates my family and me enough to hurt innocent people to try and make a point. But, sweetheart, nothing matters more to me than you. Please, Clyde, please, let me in. Let me help. I need you just as much as you need me.”

“Rey… darlin’...” Clyde tried to keep his tears at bay, but as he pulled his wife in even closer, wrapping his body around hers, he couldn’t keep them inside. All the fear, anguish and pain left him as he cried, great, heaving sobs that he was sure would leave him completely exhausted when they ended.

Rey just held him, stroking his hair and letting him cry into her own hair, knowing that he needed to get everything out before they could rebuild their lives into something new, something he could work with with his injury.

Finally, his tears dried up, and silence filled the room. Rey hadn’t moved from his arms, enjoying the feeling of safety she had within them.

“I’m sorry,” Clyde said finally, nuzzling the top of her head with his nose. “I never quite felt like this before… I mean, I was awkward in high school… more inta books than sports n girls. Then I went in tha Army, and I found my sense of purpose. When I woke up in the hospital and they told me my arm was gone… I realized I didn’t have a purpose. No plan. Nothin’. I… I got lost inside my head, darlin’, and I am so sorry I made ya sad for so long. I just… I didn’t see how ya’d still want me n all… bein’ I’m broken goods now.”

“You losing your arm doesn’t change who you are inside, Clyde. You’re still the man I fell in love with. You still have the same values. We just have to find different ways for you to do things now. The important thing is - we work on it together. We haven’t let anything or anyone tear us apart so far, why let this?” Rey kissed his chest softly. “I love you, Clyde. Always.”

Clyde worked his bottom jaw as he thought about what his wife was saying. She made sense - of course she did. He had been cruel these past few months, blocking her out of his life, not giving her a choice of whether she wanted to be with him or not. How was that any different than what her mother had been doing to her all these years? “I… I ain’t been much better than yer Mom these last few months. Takin’ away yer right to decide whatcha wanted to do with yer life. I sure am sorry, Rey. I was just so… sad and I hate ... hated… what I am now. I feel  _ worthless _ . I can’t even walk down the street, because every time I hear a loud noise I wanna fall to the ground. So, I sit here day after day, watchin’ tv and tryin’ not ta think about ya. Are ya sure ya still want me, Rey. Knowin’ I ain’t whole no more? If ya don’t, I’ll understand, but I gotta give ya the option to be free if that’s what ya want.”

“Clyde… I want you. Just you. I love you.”

Clyde blew out a long breath before lowering his lips to hers, and when he pulled away a few moments later, he murmured, “Well, I guess that’ll do for now. We’ll do this together or not at all.”

“The way it was meant to be,” Rey murmured in response, her heart soaring.

“I, um, I bought somethin’ for ya, darlin’. In London… day before the attack. I found it in an auction house, and it was perfect for ya, so I bought it.” Clyde half turned to reach for the box she had already spied on the nightstand, presenting it to her with a small smile. “I hope ya like it… do ya think ya would do it again, Rey? Would… would ya marry me again?”

Rey let a fresh wave of tears spring to her eyes as Clyde pulled the ring out of the box with a little trouble before he looked up at her, his eyes hopeful, yet still worried.

“Of course I will, Clyde. You’re my world, and I haven’t regretted marrying you for a single moment in time since I said I do.” Rey held up her finger, smiling as her husband slid the beautiful ring home on her left ring finger. She examined it for a moment, overcome with tears once more before she could finally remark, “It’s perfect. It really is. Now that we can be open, we should order wedding rings too.”

Clyde swallowed thickly as he looked down at Rey’s hand bearing the ring he had wanted to put on it for over three months now. “I… Rey… I ain’t…” He looked pointedly at the stump on his left arm. Rey reached out and twined her fingers through his, bringing them up to her lips to place a kiss on his right ring finger. 

“You have a ring finger on your right hand, husband of mine. It’ll just have to go there. I need the world to know you’re taken.” Rey leaned in and kissed him lovingly. “I love you, and I have the perfect idea for our rings.”

  
  


Several weeks passed, and they fell into a routine that was very familiar to them. They no longer had to hide their relationship, and Rey did everything she could to help Clyde figure out how to navigate life without one hand - but they worked well together.

As they cuddled together on the couch, watching television before they had to go check on things at the bar, they both heard a knock on the door. Before he could move, Clyde was on his feet, mumbling a soft “Stay put,” as he moved towards the door. Rey nodded, watching as her husband made his way to the door, staying to one side and peering through the peephole before reaching out to open the door a crack, still standing to one side as he asked, “Can I help you?”

Whomever was outside must have been harmless, because after a moment Clyde opened the door, returning to her side a moment later with a small box in his hand. With a grin, he handed it to her to open, settling onto the couch and watching her with the half smirk she loved so much on his face.

She made short work of tearing the package open, letting out a little scream of delight when she saw what was nestled within the box. They had both sent a recording of them saying the word  _ together _ to the same jeweler who had crafted the dogtag she had given to Clyde for Christmas, and the jeweler had done a wonderful job in crafting them each a wedding ring with the sound wave of the other person engraved onto it. Pulling out the ring that would rest on Clyde’s finger, Rey whispered, “Together,” as she grabbed Clyde’s hand, pushing the ring onto his ring finger before leaning in to kiss him. She held the box out to Clyde, who fumbled for a moment until he pulled her ring out, and Rey pulled her engagement ring off before holding out her hand to him. As Clyde slid the ring on her finger, he whispered, “Together,” to her as well before taking her engagement ring and sliding that on behind her wedding band.

“I love ya, darlin’.” He kissed her again, and Rey sighed happily, looking down at the rings nestled on her finger.

“I love you, too. No matter what.”

They both knew a storm was building in the distance - but just like the last ones - they’d weather this one together.


	8. Chapter 8

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Days have floated by like minutes as Jess and her crew sought out help on the home front. Rose’s parents were reluctant in terms of being on the front lines because of it being off home soil. 

“It’s most clearly not within our jurisdiction,” Rose’s mother, Thanya, curled her hair around her ear. It was her nervous tic, the one she always fell back on when there were no more nails to bite. 

Her father Hue fell back on the law as well - but offered an alternative solution.

“Why don’t we give the London Guard a chance to defend their own?”

“We can continue there, but I’d feel more comfortable if we had officers of your valor along with us,” Jess stated.

“The best we could be is guests, given the circumstances, Ms. Pava,” he warned.

“Consider yourselves inactive undercover units then,” she returned sternly. 

“Jessica—“

“No. Just under a year ago you promised your services to Nigel and his family. Anything,” she nodded like he did back then. “You told them you’d be there for anything they needed. Do you deny it?”

“No,” he sighed. “This. What you’re asking, it’s not as simple as going in and walking out.” 

“I wouldn’t think so tragically just yet.”

“And why’s that? What are you hiding, Ms. Pava?”

. . . 

Traveling shouldn’t be this tedious, especially when they were just going for the day, and yet they’d been stopped by security several times due to the fact that their group of six had waltzed in carrying nothing, checked in and moved through the airport as if their mission was causing a scene there. They’d spoken briefly about their intentions, making sure that none had enough information on them if they had gotten split from the group that they couldn’t spill the beans. That is, no one but Jess knew, and since she was completely capable of schooling her reactions, dealing heavily in her own resources, she’d been the only one to know the mission inside and out.    
  
Murmurs to the side of her lead the woman about how her crew wished they weren’t flying coach, or even that the private jet would have been more sufficient were ignored. Jess had one mission in mind - and it had nothing to do with luxury. 

The flight itself had them scattered around the cabin. Each person was following their own traveling methods. For Finn, he immediately took a sleeping pill and conked out while they taxied. For a man that did a lot of statewide travel for university games, that was an obvious shock. Rose put her earbuds in - which note to self, that was yet another thing she could work through her name calling with. Idly, Jess wondered how long she would get away with doing such a thing, or if Finn would take it on as his. Ads couldn’t stay his nickname, she knew that, but neither could “effin’” - that was for at home, and he certainly out grew it. Finn needed something that held well with commands. Something that would be unmistakable if the man had to listen on a wire. All the while she considered numbering them, but the idea of calling either of the Tico’s, aside from Rose, a number made her uncomfortable. 

Speaking of, Jess scanned the aircraft, finding Kaydel apologizing to what looked like a preteen with goo-goo eyes chatting it up with her, which she quietly contained her amusement for. Her eyes flicked just to the left of that mess to see the older couple in question cuddling beside one another while reading something, she supposed, at least on what looked like a small tablet. Their comfort reminded her of all the times she looked out for Rey and Clyde, how many times it mattered to her more than she would have liked to recognize. The girl was trapped in a life Jess hoped one day she could help set her free from, and Clyde was just the guy to get her out safely. And so it began…

And so it will end, she corrected herself. It would. There would be no way they could be short changed here. She promised herself of the very fact before settling in for the long flight ahead of them. 

. . . 

Landing made this real. 

They were really there. 

This was truly happening. 

The lot of them stood up with the rest of the passengers looking to leave the plane, their plans set, none looking the other in the eye. 

From there they left on foot, each taking a cab to be dropped off several blocks from the precinct to manage not being caught on camera making it into the building at the same time. He’s made it absolutely clear to be casual about their movements, but to keep looking at their phones to a minimum, reminding them that someone is always watching. 

Once inside the four of them waited while Hue proceeded into an office to speak with their chief about the situation. Jess figured they had it handled, continuing down the seas of city streets. Keeping her eyes straight and purse girly on her left shoulder, she walked nearly two miles out from their radius to make it to her own destination. 

“Just a few more,” a familiar voice sounded in front of her. 

Battling her nerve to just turn out of spite due to her asset giving her lip while they were on a mission, Jess kept herself moving forward to complete the five more steps it would take to verbally slap the man. She never once looked at him like this. Not while they were working. Her eyes continued scanning the world around her, keeping herself on high alert. 

“What? Can’t greet an old friend?” he teased. Jess’ silence was deafening. 

“You know me, I’m not one for reminiscing,” she says, to which the man snorts. 

“Ain’t that the truth?”

“Walk,” she said, turning on her heel to head back to the police department. 

Reminiscing meant having to remember, and Jess, well, she wanted anything to help her forget.

The man changed his direction to follow her, not meeting her shoulder, but close enough to speak behind her.

“All collections have been made as requested, with success in all but one.”

“Which tested poorly?”

“Dish 9-3-1. The hair came back animal like.”

“Where was this taken? The sample?”

“Surface 0-1-7.”

“The coat?” Jess processed this as she practically flew through the streets. 

“Gene type?” She finally asked. 

“Feline:”

“Feline?”

“Affirmative.”

“Dish 9-3-1 is one of yours, correct? Not one reported?”

“Affirmative,” he repeats, to which he nods, even though she still can’t see him. 

“Stall. Rendezvous on the hour as planned,” she commanded. 

The man in turn headed east down a side street and disappeared. 

Results and codes rolled over in her mind on the way back to meet with the others. Jess strode in, moving past the four of them still waiting for Hue to close the deal. Her steps were purposeful, as she was concerned. Several officers moved to stop her, to which she flipped a small leather shield showing her authority. No words were spoken, and each frowned as they took in her figure and guesstimated her age. Jess, however, didn’t care. 

She was going to finish this. 

. . .

Hue had a few choice words for her, his convincing hadn’t gone over well, and when Jess stormed the scene, he hadn’t been ready to release the reins to her. 

Arguing ensued - of which Rose could only roll her eyes at. 

“This is the same thing she pulled at the airport,” Kaydel informed Rose’s mother and Finn. “Remember that?”

“Yeah… poor dad,” she groaned.

“What’s that have to do with your father?” asked Thanya.

“Last time she said she’d show anything she had to in order to get what she wanted.”

“ _ What _ ?”

The door handle screamed, and ground metal against metal until the old door had been thrown open. Hue left in a huff, meeting the eyes of his wife and those he couldn't help but see as kids waiting to be picked up. He turned a moment to expect the two to follow, but was met with no additional sounds. Jess has been given a curt nod, and a tall man with curly dark hair, dark stubble and olive skin headed out the door second, followed by Jess, who ended their time with a firm handshake. Her body bowed slightly before the sheriff let go. His grip on her tightened presumably as a warning, but Jess didn’t falter. 

“Move out,” she said evenly. 

. . . 

  
  


It’s been a day. All moving in opposite directions, two of which boarded separate planes all touching down at separate airports moving in on their secured position. 

West Virginia reminded Jess of home, even with her family’s constant travel. Something about being surrounded by a canopy of trees helped the girl breathe. The thought of reminiscing with her old partner put her on edge, but here, lost in the sound of the breeze, allowed a calm to wash over her. It was short lived, of course. The sound of another set of wheels coming to a halt behind her had the woman itching to pull it and pivot, but this wasn’t a place of danger. It was a home. A place Rey chose… and because of it, Jess would respect it. 

It didn’t, however, mean that she would be letting her guard down, at least not yet. 

“Ya lost?” Jess heard a man she didn't recognize open his door from several paces behind her vehicle. Instead of turning, she opted for adopting his southern drawl, asking if he was instead of giving into answering the man.

“Easy now,” he huffed a laugh of sorts before continuing. “Jus been askin’ cuz ya been standin’ there lookin’ at those trees n all, fer what ya say there Mellie?”

Jess muttered a line of curses before turning to look over her shoulder at the pair coming up the walkway toward the cabin. Rey should have known better, not to involve locals or even family in this mess, and yet here they were strutting up to her, heads cocked to the side trying to figure out her yankee ass.

“Why are ya really here?” 

Clyde’s file went into depth about his lineage, as it did his background, and so filtering past their protective tendencies, Jess addressed the two with their names, asking if her family had all made it. 

“That wench Elizabeth ain't here if you’re lookin’ fer her,” Mellie started. 

“Her  _ American  _ family,” Jessica corrected the woman before her. The phone in her pocket chirped twice, then vibrated, alerting her that her final contact had made it in, allowing for her entry. “Well, thats me,” she said, turning towards the door - only to be stopped again. 

“Who are ya in relation to this family ya speak of?” Jimmy asked, curious as ever. 

“Why don’t you ask Rey yourself?” Jess’ voice had been even, but her mind had not. While she thought they had been friends this whole time, Jess wasn't quite sure what it meant to be part of a family, let alone Rey’s. Her’s was always on the go, something she truly didn't want to remember. All that time alone really wore her down. Being with Rey, Kaydel and Rose made her feel like she was a part of something. They were people worth protecting, and she would stop at nothing to do it right. 

  
  


Inside sets a different tone altogether. These people, the ones she considered family, and Clyde’s as well as heads from London’s finest fill the small living area. Every pair of eyes shifted to her as she made her way around the kitchen, heading right for the fridge like she would as if she was back in Ithaca. Murmurs about her behavior had set in that she’d let scoot by. They had no idea what they were dealing with, and if she didn't eat now heads would be rolling soon. 

“I take it you found something,” Rey’s question shoots through the air space. “That we can go ahead and…”

All who watched Jess nimbly move through the kitchen as if she lived there, shifted to Rey, who waited patiently for an answer.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“It’s behind the--” 

Jess cut her off, asking again if she wanted coffee.

“Oh, no. I’m okay,” she added, trying to move on to the question at hand.

“Anyone else, coffee?” she asked, watching Finn’s hand tentatively raise over his shoulder, followed by Rose, who started yawning, and another service member she had yet to meet. 

By the time the pot was filled and mugs made their way to their intended parties, Jess informed those that did not opt for it that they were missing out. 

“I don't think you realize the significance of this slip up,” she said dryly. “And coffee is going to get us through this.”

. . . 

Hours had gone by where Rey could only listen to the ongoing madness of it all. 

“Unless you can prove this is Stephen, and some cat he may have touched, it can’t be the reason for going after him,” Hue sighed into his third cup of coffee. 

“Have you found anything, Kay?” Rose asked while she mixed a solution before her on the table. 

“Results in ten,” she replied, her attention transfixed on the notes in front of her. Labs from their initial work sat beside those of the gentleman who provided his. “This says there are strains of multiple genes. No notes on external or internal testing though.”

“How seriously was your lab done?” Jess questioned her counterpart. 

“Don’t haggle me, Pava,” he said evenly, which silenced the room. 

Jess however, knew now wasn’t the time, stuck her tongue in her cheek and lifted her eyebrows in response. 

“Pava? That’s all it took? Using her last name?” Finn asked, his face showing the same level of shock that his voice did. 

“Nah, we go back,” he smirked at her glare.

“Touchy…” Finn added.

“Very,” the man replied. “I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.” The sound of her arms unfolding and sharp inhale made the man roll his eyes again while he out stretched his hand to Finn to shake his hand. 

“Finn,” he replied, accepting Poe’s hand. 

“Let me guess. She’s got you on edge with her damned nicknames,” Poe assessed their relationship. 

“How’d you know?” 

“Used to be our thing, isn't that right, sweetness?” 

Rose spit out her soda in response, whining about the pain she was in and how it was worth it. 

Jess did her best not to respond to that either, but the glimmer of irritation had been there. Instead she moved on to the next subject, reviewing the reports Poe and his team were responsible for once again. 

“Where does this leave us if we can’t connect the dots?” Rey asked, bristling with concern. 

Clyde, who did his best to digest this information, tried his best to steady his girl, Rey knew this, and still her body protested. She felt the connection to the scene, what happened to her and her husband,  _ especially him.  _

“At this moment,” Kay huffed. “There’s at least thirty counts of a protein in other pieces of evidence, including the ones the London Guard have referenced - which either puts him there, or as an accomplice from the undetonated pipe bombs. We need to find out if the singed hair,” she points at the test kit again while she leans heavily on her elbows, “is the missing link instead of cat fur.”

“And if it comes back far too damaged to tell?”

“We’ll have to take another sample in the field,” Kay proposed. “Something more significant than the bits I have here.”

“So it's a fair point that the test could have failed itself when it was done initially?” Poe smirked at Jess.

“Likely. It’s damaged enough one would assume so, but genes are hard to pass quite like that.”

“Unless it really was his creature,” Finn added, clearing his throat several times before continuing. “Have you actually watched the videos the First Order puts out? There’s a hint of something crawling around in behind the faceless troops.”

“That could be anything,” Kay presses forward with her expectations. “Do you realize how crazy that would be to blame the hunch on possibility of an animal that lurks in their videos, and the timing of bombs going off to chase you through the streets, Rey? It would literally be a race between the media and your parents to admit you to a psych ward.”

“Fine,” Rey grumbled. “How are we going to go about an additional sample?”

The group proposed ideas about getting in close with Stephen, which were turned down immediately by Clyde.

“ _ My wife ain’t goin’ nowhere near that low life sonovabitch!” _ he warned, startling everyone in the room. “She’s been through enough. There ain’t no way y’all are gonna put her in danger for yer damned science experiment!”

“Clyde,” Jess began, halting his thoughts. 

Rey watched her husband clench and unclench his hand, his jaw working over what she presumed to be his next remark, sure that it would be ready to go again soon. Her man was wound tight. She knew this, and finally was let in. What the group had been proposing must have sounded like a death march to him. It was, in a sense. She couldn’t imagine doing it without him, and yet, she’d been their key through and through. 

His brow furrowed, and Rey was sure he was ready to give her a piece of his mind - but she started again, just as she always had. 

“We have back-up, she won’t be alone.” She pauses, making sure every syllable was heard, “You, however, need to stay out of sight.”

“What are ya doin’? And why are ya so on board with puttin’ my wife in danger?

“It needs to be done, Clyde,” he heard Jess say, as if she’d been in far more dangerous settings. 

That was what they were trained to say if a civilian ever asked “why”, and boy, did he hate being considered as such - especially now, with his… arm as it was. But Jess was an Officer wanna-be, going around and dressing up, mouthing off and ordering people around - which was all fun and games until she offered up the bait position to be filled with the love of his life. That shit right there would not fly. 

“And why, exactly, do ya think I’d be okay with this?” he craned his neck so that his body just barely towered over hers. 

Jess looked at him queerly, letting the cat from the bag entirely, “Rey’s orders.”

…

“Ya ain’t doin’ nuthin’ like this, Rey! It’s dangerous n I ain’t havin’ ya involved!” Clyde was pacing from one end of the room to the other, pushing his hand through his hair in frustration. Rey didn’t know why she had expected any different reaction from her bodyguard turned husband - it had been his job to keep her safe, after all, and her offering to act as bait to get the information they needed from Stephen was risky.

Rey watched from across the room as he paced, wanting to rush to him, to try and comfort him, even though she knew he wouldn’t appreciate it. She and Clyde never fought about anything, but she also never proposed anything quite so dangerous to him.

“Ain’t no way, Rey. I forbid ya from doin’ this. No. It ain’t happenin’, and that’s that.” Clyde stopped pacing finally, going to the cabinet that housed the whiskey and popping open the top, sucking down a long mouthful before recapping it and wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Rey opened her mouth to remind him that he shouldn’t drink when he was taking medication for pain, but stopped as she remembered just  _ why _ she had agreed to the plan they had hatched. Stephen had done this to them, had caused her handsome, wonderful husband to lose his hand, and both of them to have PTSD, jumping at the slightest noises and trying not to panic over things that shouldn’t set either of them off.

They were each other's strength, each other’s anchor in the stormy sea they were navigating through.

Clyde was in the full throes of a panic attack right now, except it was coming out as anger. And, Rey thought to herself, he was right to be worried and angry. Everything they knew about Stephen told her this was a foolhardy, dangerous plan - one that Clyde would never approve of.

“Dontcha even care ‘bout what I feel here, Rey? Why do ya think I’d ever allow my wife ta do somethin’ so dangerous? Ya ain’t trained like me. What happens if he hurts ya? What happens if he… he kills ya?” Clyde’s voice broke, and tears streamed down his face. “I almost lost ya once, I ain’t… I can’t…” 

Clyde stormed past her, slamming the bedroom door after he had entered it, and Rey just sat on the couch, tears streaming down her own face now. What was she doing? Her husband - the man she had pledged herself to for the rest of her life - was suffering because of her decision.

What was she doing? Rey knew the plan they had come up with was dangerous. Using herself as bait to finally bring down Stephen and the First Order was a huge risk to her safety. She was resolved in her decision, though. Somehow, she knew she was the key. Stephen was angry that she had rejected him. He would see her as the ultimate prize in his sick and twisted little game.

The effect it was having on Clyde was tearing her apart inside, though. Even after losing his arm, since their reunion he had been protective, falling back into his role as her bodyguard without thinking about it. It simply was ingrained in him. It had taken her showing him, time and time again, that just because he had lost an arm it didn’t make him less of a man. He could still protect her, and she would always feel safest beside him. It just was.

After an hour of relative silence, the door to their bedroom swung open, banging against the wall, and Clyde emerged, the keys to his truck hanging from his fingers. He mumbled as he walked to the front door. “I’ll be back later. Lock the door behind me.”

Rey stood, her eyes brimming with tears as she said his name before noticing the keys in his hand. “Clyde…”

The front door closing behind him brought a fresh round of tears. She and Clyde had always been a team. They chose to talk through things, and never go to bed angry - but this time… this time Rey hadn’t talked to him about their plan.

His anger made sense now. She had betrayed him, betrayed the vows she had made to him. And for what? To put herself in danger.

It was for the greater good, Rey reminded herself. If their plan worked, Stephen would be gone for good - would be locked up in a jail cell for the rest of his days for his crimes, and then she and Clyde could follow the dreams they had talked about. They wanted to travel the world together, to help veterans and victims alike, and they wanted to start a family together someday as well.

She could handle his anger. It was deserved. As soon as the plan was implemented and they had succeeded, she was certain Clyde would forgive her. Every marriage had its ups and downs, after all - and this was definitely a rocky road for them.

….

Clyde drove down the old dirt roads of Boone County at breakneck speeds, trying to control the thrumming of his heart and the panic it brought to him. His wife was putting herself in danger. She hadn’t talked to him about it. She hadn’t considered his feelings when making her decision, and that wounded him deeply. He and Rey talked about everything, no matter how small, and her doing something so foolish was not in character for her.

Maybe… maybe he had done something wrong. Maybe he couldn’t be enough for her, and she felt like she had to do this, had to make herself bait for that weasel - all because he hadn’t been able to take Stephen down himself.

He was worthless. A half man, and he didn’t know why Rey even stuck around. Slamming his fist down on the steering wheel so hard he felt the plastic crack, Clyde veered the truck off the road at the side of a wooded area, flinging the door open with a heave and jumping out of the truck.

He strode to the woods with a righteous fury burning within him, one he hadn’t let out since he was in the military…

_ The operation had gone smoothly, their directive had been neutralized with no collateral damage. Still, as Clyde lay in his bedroll on his rack after they had returned to their FOB, he couldn’t get the faces out of his head. Previous missions all blended together, until all he saw was a mass of lifeless faces in his head, children and women staring forevermore into the life beyond this one. _

_ His body shook with well contained sadness and fury, and even though he would do his job, Clyde knew he would always see their faces for the rest of his life. _

** _CRACK._ **

A blinding pain shot through Clyde’s hand, travelling up his arm and into his shoulder. Tears were streaming down his face, and as he came back to his senses, he realized that he had been pummeling one of the large trees in his blind rage. Blood trickled to the ground, painting the fallen leaves red - but Clyde didn’t feel the pain as he stared at the garish splatters. He panted, every breath a chore as he tried to quell the rage inside him.

_ With a flash, he was back in London, Rey lying beneath him on the pavement. Her face was pale, her eyes closed as blood trickled from her mouth. “Rey, darlin’... wake up. I need ya ta wake up…” Another blast rocked the ground, sending him flying through the air… his wife left somewhere behind… _

Clyde collapsed to his knees, his sobs loud enough to make all the local fauna still, scared of what the foreign noises meant.

….

_ He’s coming home. He’s got to come home to me… _

Rey repeated the same mantra to herself that she had been internally chanting for the past four hours, after Clyde had stormed out of the house. She had spoken with Jess and Rose, both of her friends assuring her that he would come back. He just needed time to think.

As she lay in bed long after the sun had gone down, the sound of the door opening had her jumping out of bed, but as she opened the door to their room she was greeted with the sight of Clyde’s back as he stalked into their guest bedroom, the door closing behind him with a quiet finality that made Rey sick to her stomach with worry.

Neither one slept well, both tossing and turning until, as the sun was just starting to rise, Rey tiptoed across the hall, the door to the guest bedroom swinging open silently. Clyde’s eyes head turned towards the movement, his expressive eyes filled with sadness and unresolved pain as he took in her disheveled visage - hair messy from moving around on her pillow and eyes puffy and swollen from crying.

Without saying a word, he moved towards the edge of the bed to give her room if she wanted it, and Rey wasted no time crawling onto the mattress and molding her body to her husband’s, tears streaming down her face as her arms circled his neck.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t talk to you, Clyde. I know this is dangerous and foolish of me, but I  _ have _ to do it. I can’t explain it, but I’m the key to ending all this. It has to be me. I know you’re worried… but you taught me how to be strong, baby. You helped make me into the woman I am, and I’ll have help. I won’t be alone. Please… be with me. I love you so much…”

Clyde said nothing, swallowing thickly against the rising tide of tears that threatened to consume him again. The anger still rested within him, and the hurt that Rey had caused by deciding to agree to this plan without talking to him about it. Seeing her so despondent, though, had him pulling her closer, his lips planting a kiss to the top of her head.

His Momma had always told him to keep his mouth shut if he didn’t have nothing good to say, and so Clyde just held his wife close to him, letting her cry herself to sleep in his arms. Once she was asleep, he slid out from beside her, going to the living room and pacing across the room as his head refused to let him rest.

If he lost Rey - if this little plan of her and her friends backfired - then Clyde would be lost too. Since meeting her, he had realized that in her rested the other half of his soul. How could a person live with half a soul?

He didn’t know when he settled onto their couch, but when he woke it was to the feeling of Rey pressing feather light kisses to his swollen and possibly broken knuckles, the dried blood still on his skin from his assault on the tree the night before. He simply looked at his wife, who stood and left the room for a moment, returning with a wet washcloth which she pressed to his injured hand.

Rey wanted to cry all over again when she saw the damage Clyde had inflicted on his hand. She knew it was her decision that had him in turmoil, and the look in his eyes was tearing her apart. Her eyes came up to meet his as she pressed the washcloth to his hand, slowly swiping the fabric over his torn knuckles to wipe the blood away.

“Please don’t be doin’ this, Rey. Ain’t right a’tall ta be puttin’ yerself in danger. There’s other ways we can bring the slimeball down. Ya ain’t gotta be bait. I… I’m beggin’ ya darlin’. If…” Clyde licked his lips, his heart thudding in his chest heavily and his eyes threatening to fill with tears again. “If I lost ya I don’t think I could go on. Yer my heart, darlin’. The other half a me. Please…”

Rey finished cleaning his hand as she fought back her tears. Clyde never begged her for anything, and Rey knew her man wouldn’t deny her anything she asked for. It was obvious the distress he was in over this, though, yet still she couldn’t give him what he wanted.

Not this time.

Instead, she finished what she was doing and looked into his eyes, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his as she closed her eyes, praying her next words would turn out to be true in the end.

“We leave in two days for London. This will all turn out okay. You’ll see, baby. You’ll see.”

  
  
  
  


…

The echoes of their argument were still fresh in her mind as they soared over the golden waves below the aircraft’s wings. They hung heavy on her heart as they descended. Engines roaring beside her never seemed quieter, distant. Not even the wheels bouncing or brakes screaming as they landed registered. Rey looked down at her fingers laced in her husband’s, studying how every mark, every ridge in her skin had changed. How once they were soft, unblemished, not even touched by the sun, and now, now there were divots from where shards of shrapnel had been removed. They told a story. One of love. One of hate. One of failures and successes. It told the story of Rey blossoming into the woman she is today, and her husband coming into his own, far past the genuine man she first met. 

Rey’s eyes lifted past where she held his hand, out across the aisle where Jess and Rose looked like soldiers. They knew their jobs inside and out, and an eerie calm settled over her as Hue, Thanya, Finn and Poe began to rise. Movement ushered in a realness that she’d never dreamed she’d be ready to take on, but there she was, lifting off of her seat to stand tall with Kaydel, who gave her a tight knowing smile over her shoulder. Next to her had been Jess, standing taller than she’d ever seen her. The woman’s form squared up, her chin tilted slightly higher than it needed to be. Her dark brown eyes alight with admiration, Rey guessed, closed just slightly as the corners of her mouth quirked up just slightly. Not much more than necessary. Her smile went unnoticed by the men and murmurs behind them. 

Rey found Rose doing the same, and wondered if they were in on some side thought together, as they’d been known to do. It was rare given how much they’d one up the other, but there was Rose standing taller than she’d been known to as she moved to follow the rest of them off the plane. 

Once down, Rey felt the electricity in the air. It hadn’t just been on the plane. It was as if London had shifted on her. There was an evil there, just below the surface. It called to her in whispers of death and destruction, memories of injured children flooded her mind. The smell of fire, smoke, and debris coated her lungs with every breath, even though the streets had been cleared of such things. 

Settled. 

That’s all it had done. 

Settled. It had covered the streets in a film. Even though most had been cleared and the steady brown fog that covered the city had dissipated, it wasn't gone. That much she knew. During their ride in to her parent’s home, at least that's what she saw that dreaded building as, not something that could ever truly return to being hers - if it ever was at all, she could see how much Clyde struggled with the new guard and his forced retirement. She knew her man was the only one who could protect her. He’d known it too, and so when the tall slender woman tried time and again to replace him, Rey waited for her husband’s expertise before moving, even if the coast was clear. 

Clyde would frown at himself when the memorized movement of calling her to him with his left hand was replaced by his forearm. She’d see the war, read his face, his mind, his feelings written there for all to see. She’d watch him swallow and relearn his stances from what seemed to be an unnatural one to call her to his side. 

“Thank you, Clyde,” she’d whisper as she used to. Her voice raw with emotion, the same she’d battled with while she waited for him to give the all clear. Rey’s eyes lifted to his ushering a silent apology and a promise. One he’d have to be blind to misread.

“Now, don’tcha get me all worked up, ya hear?” Clyde said, his question had been more of a statement. “Ya, ya can’t be goin’ around flashin’ yer pretty eyes all sad for me, darlin’. Yer… yer…” he began to get choked up beside her when the first of several tears had been shed. 

“I’m yours and you’re mine, Clyde. Don’t you be getting any ideas about falsifying your worth because it just isn’t true.” Rey took him by his arm, turning him as he’d always stood for her. “I want to see you. My proud, stubborn man…” Her fingertips trailed his skin, falling away at his tailored suit jacket’s sleeve before parting from him. 

Clyde’s brow furrowed, shaking his head to answer her. “Ya - yer the stubborn one,” he pouted and waved his stump awkwardly at her even though she knew it was safe already. 

“We both are, and don’t you forget it. We were made for each other - and just like you, I’d do anything for you, Clyde. Even if I have to build us back up, piece by piece.” 

Rey felt his embrace before she’d breathed her last word. His arms sturdy, circling her waist, his brow connecting with her shoulder, his hair flopping over it just so. It had been a moment of desperation, one more plea for her not to go through with this, to which she mouthed “it’ll be” before getting even a whisper to leave her lips, “okay.”

A sigh came over him, feeling the weight of her husband lift off her shoulder, “Okay,” he whispered, to which she nodded, repeating her last word.

Her pride for her mission, and her husband’s support, made her feel strong. She could do this. 

. . . 

Inside with her family had still been a charged realm. Her brother and sister kept their distance, watching out constantly for dirty, controlling looks their mother would shoot in their direction, silencing any casualties that didn’t revolve around the fantastic work Stephen and their family had done to rebuild the city since she’d run off with her American hick. Rey, however, paid no mind to Elizabeth or her games, allowing her the floor. The intel had been far too important to snuff out with an argument, and so she babbled on and on until the news broadcast had enlightened them of his progress. It had gone on to confirm what they’d learned weeks ago, that this festival had been named in his honor for doing all he could to right this unspeakable wrong. The news anchor hailed him as a hero among the people, and all the while, even in her fury, she’d been unable to react.

Elizabeth even made snarky comments about how she indefinitely picked the wrong man, and that this creature may even see past her incompetence and take her back if they separated. Her cruel words were just that, and were not accepted into her space. Rey simply blinked and excused herself with a nod.

“And where do you think you’re going?” her mother’s voice echoed around her in a singsong ‘I know everything’ way. 

“To change,” she huffed, then straightened out before she walked away. Her mother carried on as if she never did, speaking of ungodly things Rey had neither the time or patience to care about.

There was work to be done.

. . . 

The event had stopped traffic within several city streets, making sure that not only the party was protected, but also to include the rebuilding of major roads of which were affected. Planners, however, made sure to keep people away from the stadium that was already gated off an in progress of being rebuilt. How long was she away? Months? While London was known for a lot, it wasn’t for it’s overnight construction, and who, she schooled her frown, was contributing to such a focus on redevelopment, she wondered. Stephen’s family were wealthy, but not enough to accomplish such projects, she knew that. Rey specifically remembers when it came out about his overspending, and how the man had been dangerously close to bankruptcy several years ago - and now this? There was no way. There was money under the table, she nodded to herself. An outside influence, one she would out after the deed had been done. 

Rey exhaled to keep her hand steady while she applied eyeliner, only to feel Clyde’s warm hand come down on her shoulder.

“Yer mom’s a bitch—“ he stopped himself to look at her. “What is it? Ya don’t think she’s…”

“I don’t care what she says,” Rey interrupted, her eyes glassed over to protect herself. “Besides, who knows if she even is my mother? Would she even have a say then? Would she matter?”

“Ya don’t mean that. Ya guys just have ta talk it out, see.”

“Clyde, a lot happened while you were out. Things were said. And I… I don’t know what else to think anymore about Elizabeth, or even this place. I’m just here to show face, be who I am, and encourage others to do the same.”

“That’s anger talkin’ right there. Ya two —“

“Clyde,” she made sure to stop him before he promised something unattainable. “I know this life. There's no getting through. Nothing to say. Nothing to do. Not with her.”

“Ya can’t mean that. I seen ya. How ya look at her and want more from this.”

Rey’s lips tightened, refusing to say anymore. 

“Your dress is ready,” Rose notified the couple as she tapped on the other side of her door. 

“Thank you,” Rey replied, waiting for Clyde to check the all clear. Security may be a source of recovery for her husband today, but for her it was everything. If even one slight hint had been made about their recon mission - the only reason they came - she would be ostracized. So much was on the line. The entire London Guard, the reputation they’d get if their plan had been leaked in even the slightest…

Her husband thanked Rose and took the garment in to her, desperate to know why she insisted on something short. The dress, while only reaching her mid thigh, was the most compatible with the mission, the top had been a sleeveless lace layering over top of a royal blue silk slip. Fabric around her waist layered in three rows, one slightly lower than the other as it reached the hem - reminding her of her past, present, and need for a future. It even adorned a thin sweetheart bow around her waist between the top and skirt which made her feel unassuming. It was, in a word, perfect.

Her shoes were just as, keeping with the theme. She’d chosen flats, and furthermore against wearing stockings, which was a must according to Elizabeth. It was summer after all, and who wanted to wear them in the heat?

Clyde’s eyes traveled from where she covered her heel with her shoe, her finger still guiding the back onto her, all the way up her exposed thigh, making his eyes darken and his finger tingle to reach out and touch his wife. If she looked this good to him, then what was to stop other men from feeling the same way? 

He hated the idea of someone else looking at his wife as hungrily as he did.

"I don't like ya wearin' that dress out... shows off too mucha yer legs. Don't want noone else lookin' at ya like that..."

Rey smiled softly, and yet it still managed to light up her eyes in a way he’s gotten used to her doing. Rey released her heel, straightened, and found her way back into his arms before replying, "No one sees me like you do.” The heat of his body called to her in a primal way, one that needed to be entertained. “This... is all for you,” she purred. 

“But I see them,” he murmured into her hair, his arms encircling her waist to draw her in further. “I don’t want anyone seeing ya fer less than ya are…” he replied thickly. “Don’t want anyone ta see ya that way…”

“Then you best keep me covered,” she whispered, just barely making it to his ears while standing on her tiptoes. Her hands slid from the solid plains of his chest down his hard torso to his belt, reveling in the way that he refused to move.

  
Clyde eyed her hungrily, his eyes dark with desire. His fierce woman was about to put herself in the line of danger, and he’d never been prouder of her - or more turned on. “I’ll keep ya covered, alright,” he managed to get out before her lips claimed his, her small, strong hands working his belt off quickly.

Clyde would never deny his wife anything, especially when her hands were sliding over his length, her fingers coaxing a low moan out of his lips as he hungrily kissed her. He tried not to think about what was going to happen, about how that subhuman Stephen was going to look at Rey and try to claim her.

Clyde set out to remind his wife just who did claim her - truly - in every way. As they worked their clothes off the other, kissing, licking and biting at each others skin as if it was the last time they would be together. Neither one of them wanted to think about what might happen when Rey presented herself to Stephen, and so they immersed themselves in the other completely, letting the world fade away until all that filled their world was the sounds of their lips and skin moving together.

After they reached their peak together and had come down, Clyde curled around Rey as she dozed, his fingers tracing the freckles on her back as he tried not to think about never being able to touch her again.

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed about a life with Rey and their children, floating on inner tubes on the Little Coal River.

….

Rey wakes to her now sleeping husband, watching over him the same way he had all that time ago. She knew this, felt this… and being here this time made her feel a strange sense of pride. One she wondered if he felt when he’d been assigned to her, or if he ever truly experienced this feeling. Rey inhaled deeply, then made her way to smooth out the blanket on the bed they shared, tucking him in before slipping out. 

She’d seen the way the sun filtered through the blinds, which brought them further into the late afternoon, making her hyper aware of protocol for events like these. Fixing her dress had been easy enough, makeup adjustments would have to be done in the car, and her hairdo was simple enough to brush through to get right again. The only thing that gave her trouble was where her shoes had been thrown. Matching was a must in their home, but today it just wasn't happening. Rey launched herself into the closet to pull out a pair of simple black stilettos and her wallet and slipped out of the room. 

On her left was the tall blonde she’d only known to be G.P. waiting on one side, with Finn on the other. 

Rey’s message was short, deliberate, and to the point, “Keep him safe.” Her eyes flicked up to meet Finn’s, her intents made clear. At Finn’s nod she squared up with G.P., making strides to her next location… the party. 

Walking through the streets beside her family was strange. G.P. was in the wings, silence clinging to her ears despite the noisy crowd had her hoping Clyde was still safe, that this wasn’t a trap. Rey imagined walking into the lion’s den and losing, her nerves quaking just under her skin, riling her up the moment Stephen’s image showed up in the form of a statue. How long has this been going on? Rey wondered. 

Her radio’s signal crackled, then beeped twice, reminding her to switch it to channel two, one being the one her husband was still manning. When she did, her mind raced with intel. Everyone that was part of the plan had a line in, all doing checks with their callsigns, most of which Jess had named them as. Poe as Pro, which she could see her friend cringe at even if she wasn’t in her presence, and Finn who would not be called “effin” for something so important. The boys had the hardest time keeping the radio clear after so many attempts at a new name that they became Rey’s source of comic relief. Her steps forward felt less like the ground was eating her up, making it easier to function overall.

“Well, I mean, you’re our video expert. VE sounds weird. What about VP? Over,” Poe continued with his conversation, making others feel the need to ask for radio pings when it was necessary to stay in contact.

“Message for Pro. VP? Over,” Finn questioned. 

Poe clarified, “Video Pro, bro. Over.”

“Clear the line,” Jess snarled. 

“Easy, sugar,” Poe paused, then added, “Over.”

Jess’ silence indicated she was displeased, which had brought a smirk to Rey’s face. She’d been positioned as back up elsewhere in the lay of the land, doing what while they moved into the heart of this territory, she wasn’t sure. But Jess, she’s learned, has been there time and again to make sure that Rey received the help she required without having to be asked. 

She would be there. 

If she was needed.

Rey knew.

“Sugar? Over.” Finn asked.

“Not you… unless that’s your thing. Over.”

“It could be.” Finn forgot to end his statement, leaving the line hanging for long enough for Rey to chime in. 

“Over.”

“Oh, right. Over.” Finn added. “I’m picking up activity on where you are R...flower. Over.”

“Where I am? Over.” Rose questioned. “Are you sure?” Nothing threatening seemed to come up in her sights. Her squad being notified to keep watch for suits, registering all movements, even casual be reported. Not having a database that covered the goon squad Stephen had at his disposal meant every last one of them would need to be profiled.

  
  


“Looks like suits at your six. Squirrel, eyes on targets? Need confirmation. Over.” 

Rose, who had been leading a squad of officers around the perimeter of the party, turned to face them. Her hand ready at her side to draw her weapon if needed. 

“Check in, Flower.”

“Nothing yet. Line clear,” Rose whisper shouted back at him. 

To Rey, Rose’s demand sounded more like she told Finn to shut up, making her feel a little sorry for the guy. It wasn't necessarily a mission she felt the need to be  _ that  _ on edge. Rey rolled her eyes at herself. It was a delicate balance. One she needed proof for. It was the same reason she wore a wire, why she was linked into their squad with an earpiece… If it didn't wind up being he was connected to spying on her, that he wasn't responsible for the First Order’s attacks, she could fall back on the units she had moving in - protecting her instead. It seemed flashy, if she had to say something to that extent, but perhaps the amount of anxiety she had after the shooting could be rolled into the terror of the explosives that seemed to move with her wounding her and the man she loved. Maybe she could play it off as a way to feel comfortable at home. Rey huffed at the thought. She knew she wasn't truly processing it. Not yet at least. She had been dealing with Clyde’s pain, the thought of losing him postponed her own capability to process any of it. Her body shivered at the thought, knowing full well that when it hit, the floor would fall from her feet. In this moment all she could do was hope that her plan to find out more would pay off in the form of setting them free. 

“Set up the first false threat. Over,” Rose commanded. 

“It’s too soon.” Finn replied. 

Rose noticed, and spent the next ten minutes giving her assessment of the men they profiled before, who began to move like she was moving her squad. It was natural. They had been trained. 

“Do it now, FN, before I have to down them. Over.”

Finn let out a wheeze before coughing into the mic, parroting her response. He couldn't believe his girlfriend had this much fire. She truly missed her calling. Being a cop was in her blood. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't exactly keep his mouth shut, prompting Rose to hiss back at him.

“I know what I said--”

“Fine, fine. Alternate False Site One. Activated,” Finn confirmed, his fingers pressing into the keyboard hard enough to be heard over the tiny speaker. “All you. Over,” he muttered, following up with, “Confirm target’s identities. Friendlies?”

“Threat received,” Jess confirmed, the line hanging on her exhaled breath. “Confirmed. Targets unfriendly; count: two.” 

“How do you even know?  _ You aren’t there.”  _ Finn stressed. 

“Over,” Jess replied, silencing the line. 

. . .

Clyde woke to silence, and as he rolled over, Rey’s side of the bed was cold - and he knew. His heart clenched in his chest, panic already threatening to set in.

She was supposed to wake him. He wanted to hold her one last time before she left. He wanted to kiss her breathless and tell her he loved her. He had wanted to beg her one last time not to go through with it. There were other ways.

If… If she didn’t come home… if this plan went sideways - would she know? Would she know that he loved her so much it hurt? Would she know that seeing her smile was the highlight of every day for him? Would she ever know that she was the only person ever to touch his arm besides him and the doctors? Her touch was like a healing salve to his mangled arm, and the way she looked at him was balm to his soul.

She made him feel alive again. She had saved him from the darkness that had threatened to engulf him after the bombing.

And now she was gone, and Clyde didn’t know if he’d ever see her again. His heart started racing, and he stood up, his chest heaving as he felt his lungs tighten, every breath a struggle.

_ She’s gone. She’s gone… she’s gone. _

Clyde glanced into the floor length mirror for a moment, his lips twisting into a grimace as he caught sight of his stump.

He couldn’t protect her anymore, and because of that, she had to put herself in danger. She could die - and it was because he was half a man, scarred and mangled. With a roar, Clyde threw out his hand, flipping over the bedside table before grabbing the first thing he could - a crystal water glass, heaving it towards the mirror. The glass and mirror both shattered, leaving shards on the floor as Clyde dressed quickly, pulling his boots on and making sure he had everything he needed for the day - including his weapon. The small earpiece he had noticed on the floor in the aftermath of his rage had been picked up and placed in his ear, finally. His panic ridden brain could only think of one thing, his chest tight and his heart pounding as he raced out of the house.

He had to get to Rey.

The radio was silent, for the most part, as Clyde stalked through the streets, intent on getting to his wife as soon as possible. The small device crackled to life, and he heard Pava’s voice, the codespeak they were using more than familiar to him from his time in the military. He listened as he walked, praying he would hear his wife’s voice.

And when he heard her, inquiring about his safety, he growled into the air, his hand clenching into a fist and his jaw working furiously as he stalked along the sidewalk, garnering fearful gazes from everyone walking down the street who happened to encounter him.

“Package is furious, indeed,” he said as he reached his destination, slamming the door open to the designated meeting house. Stalking down the hall, his eyes narrowed as he reached the war room, where Poe, Kaydel, and an older, silver haired man sat, talking quietly as they glanced at computer monitors.

“Where. Is. My. Wife?” Clyde growled, Poe and Kaydel looking up in shock at the tone of his voice. Poe stood up to his full height, his eyes wide as he looked at Kay. 

“Now, Clyde… where’s Finn?” Poe put up a hand, as if to placate Clyde, and he stalked towards the other man, sweeping the table clean of everything except the computers - which Kaydel somehow managed to get her hands on, righting them as she let Poe deal with Clyde’s anger.

“I don’t give two shits about where he is, I ain’t his fuckin’ keeper. Where the fuck is Rey?” Clyde shouted, turning and punching his fist through the wood of the door to the room. He was seeing the world through a haze of red, every beat of his heart making the red haze solidify in front of him for that moment.

He wanted to destroy Stephen. He wanted to destroy anyone that stood between him and his wife.

Poe stilled, gulping loudly, and then the man he didn’t recognize spoke up. “Staff Sergeant Logan, how about you take a seat, soldier? You’re not going to be able to help your wife until you clear your head a bit, kid.”

Clyde looked for the first time -  _ really _ looked - and realized the man was wearing an Air Force uniform, the stars indicating he bore the rank of General. Gulping in a breath, Clyde ran his hand through his hair before nodding once.

“Yes, sir.”

  
  
  
  


. . .

  
  


Radio silence had been unnerving. Once or twice the line would chirp, but nothing more would surface. The crowd around her had come for pictures - which she allowed instead of brushing them off. Her ring present, many wanting to speak to her about her love life and how she enjoyed it, all the while she missed her man more and more every time it came up. 

“FN check in,” she’d mumble every so often, just to be sure he was still sleeping, but this time his answer made her feel weak in the knees. 

“Package’s up and moving. Not happy,” he muttered back. 

Shit. 

Rey had a few things she had to do before she could make it back to the War Room to provide the details of her findings. While recordings from the devices found in her home had been enlightening, linking them up with Stephen’s crew’s DNA was downright frightening. She thought of the video threat that sent the couple running off to West Virginia. Just the thought of having to explain their story heated her cheeks, but it was crucial. So many hints had been dropped. Details that were close to the case that no one else knew had been hidden within it. And so, she would make sure she could manage. All that was left for this leg of the trip is finding…

Stephen. 

Just a few meters ahead of her stood the man she desperately wished she would never have to interact with again, and yet, her eyes locked with his the moment she found him. 

“Fuck,” Rey muttered. Her element of surprise completely gone. Stephen left the faceless men and women, all of which she may have known had she tried to run in his circle. For a moment she kicks herself for not given the circumstances. It would have been far easier to target him if she’d been closer. Rey shakes her head, removing thoughts of past capabilities to her strategy now. There was no time for a potential screw up in time. 

Willing herself to focus, she returned the step towards him, banking on the fact that being out in the open would keep her safe. She, however, feels anything but. A wall of suits seemed to materialize around her and vanish all at once. It was a message that they were there even if they were unseen. The thought made her skin crawl, and her slightest exhale reminded her of what she said to Clyde just before, it made her vision blur and nerves kick in, only to come back to Stephen’s hollow croon. 

“Even now you’re with him… aren’t you, pet?” Rey felt his hand reach behind her ear, but hadn’t thought to move. The stress of him being close to her again made her want to shut down as she always had. 

Stephen, though, was careful to only take the radio, leaving every strand of her hair untouched. Safe. 

Was she though? 

Safe?

Rey hushed her racing mind, clearing the air around her with a curt nod. 

“I see you’ve made an effort,” she began, doing her best to keep him and his actions in her peripheral vision. 

Stephen extends his hand as a way to offer a walk with him, which she nervously does. Rey found herself bracing her every move around Stephen, which surprisingly prompted him to ask if she was alright, avoiding her previous statement all together.

“I’m fine,” she answered.

“My pet, you’re anything but, quaking like a leaf beside me,” Stephen purred. 

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Rey simply closed them for a long while. 

“I’m not,” she confirmed. 

“Oh, but you are. Is it me? Do I make you feel that way?”

“Yes,” she huffed, watching him take a step back, his face showing a slight grimace when he went. “I mean no…” she quickly recovered. “It’s this place,” Rey lied.

“Ah, yes. The devastation,” Stephen continued forward, leaving the thick of the crowds behind. People still floated around here, but the public eye lessened more and more until they reached the harbor. He’d continued on their trip, mourning the lives lost and how he felt for the children that would no doubt be growing up in a traumatized state. Several times he’d stopped to offer her champagne or poured beverages served in fancy plastic ware. Each time she found herself declining despite how dry her mouth really felt, despite the humidity. 

His last attempt to offer one had only been a success because the water bottle was sealed. His ice blue eyes swimming in delight when she finally accepted. It was odd, truly, being helped by this monster, even if it was just a simple thing, it spoke to her on a level she wasn't prepared for. 

“Why are you doing this?” she found herself asking. 

“Because you’re a stubborn girl and won’t drink. I won’t have you fainting in my presence. Not for that reason at least,” he smirked. 

Rey’s brow furrowed, “So your new found kindness is an act? That's out of character, even for you.” 

The timber of Stephen’s laugh had been luring enough to guide her eye back up to his. “Oh, how little you know of me, sweet girl.” He sighed, “We could have truly been something, you know.”

Her brow knit tighter together, trying to remember a time when he was good. When that could have happened. 

“You see it, don’t you? Your chance, the one you so willingly shoved away?”

“You were different then, something changed you, or you changed for it. Whatever the cost, you paid it. Stephen,” she turned from him, forgetting the mission for long enough to drown their past in his unseeing eyes. “You weren’t there. You shoved me away. The constant parties, the women, you were never mine,” Rey’s voice quaked, revealing her knowledge on his infidelities. 

“Nothing changed. Aside from adulthood. You know how that goes, darling.” Rey’s heart sank hearing him use Clyde’s special word, her thumb stroking over the ink in her skin. “You of all people should know this life comes with a price.”   
  
“And what price was it? What changed you?” she pressed. “Adulthood is a cop out. You know as well as I do you enjoyed them. They made you feel powerful. Just like this party. They stroke your ego in a way I never would. Was that it? Was that the problem?”

Evening grew dark enough around them that the purpling clouds settled in the twilight as heavy navy blue blankets which patched the last flickering bits of light at the horizon. Night was calling… and so was something else. 

Rey had awoken it. 

“You never did, that's a true statement,” his form standing impossibly taller in the flickering light of the dimmed lamp posts. 

It was then when Rey wondered if this walk was to remove her from the equation. No one would see them in the restricted area of the harbor. Just beyond them, Rey could see dark forms on the floating docks said to be where the show would fire from. They were close, she swallowed. Too close. Getting a sample of any kind would be tarnished as it was with the sample they had, she thought. She found herself nodding in response to her reminders, but had forgotten Stephen had made an attempt to follow up. 

She felt her wrists swallowed up by his hands, loosely circling them to reconnect with her. 

“You still could, you know,” he continued, his hands slipping from where he held her. His fingers drawing feather light lines down her palms in one, but the other had a more mischievous task to follow. She felt his hand shift quickly, clamping down on her wedding band to attempt to yank it from its home. 

“No!” Rey screeched, gripping his hand with her free one. Rey could feel her heart race. The man that put that on her… their life together… falling from her grasp as if it were being erased. She balled up her left, holding on to Clyde as Stephen rounded her first knuckle. This wouldn't do. She was going to kill him! “Get off of me! Let go!” Rey roared, clawing at Stephen the best she could.

The man smirked, gritted his teeth and yanked even harder, doing his best to rid her of her choice. 

“You don’t belong with him. This ring is nothing but a cheap--”

“Don’t you dare say another word!” Rey struggled to keep her wedding band from slipping between her ring finger and thumb before remembering herself. Her relationship with Clyde had been far more important than that one item, but to her he’d given her a promise. Hope. Reasons for a change… in the blink of an eye, her struggle lessened and she remembered herself. 

She remembered Clyde.

Pulsing moments between them and their lives cleared her mind. 

Let him believe… she whispered in her mind. Rey flicked open her fingers, her band just catching her thumb with enough force to be jammed down the digit by her other hand instead. Next, she gritted her teeth, attempting to shove him off of her. 

She had never known Stephen to be strong and yet, trying to push him away made her feel like she just tried to move a truck. When did that happen?

“Mhmm, like what you feel?” he teased her, attempts which made her cringe. Rey’s movements had caught like wildfire. The first being repulsed by his comment, the next few had been due to the first of many single cannons fired, lighting up the sky in brilliant red and white bursting fireworks. 

There was no time for her to react before her world had been turned upside down. Stephen had hoisted her up and over his shoulder, taking long strides toward the water. This was it. She was going to drown. He was going to kill her for refusing him - the very thing she worried about in every moment standing side by side with that unbearable man, and now… now he had a reason to do it. A real one. Not one based on a theory. She’d said no to him. 

No one restricted Stephen from anything and got away with it. 

She remembered the girls he’d been with, wondering if they were all forced to be there against their will too. What happened to them? Were they ever heard from again?

Rey found herself doing the best she could to stop him, taking calculated shots at muscle groups to get him to drop. If he fell, she could get free. None of which worked on Stephen as they worked on Clyde. Rey wondered if he was overreacting with her to teach her the ropes or not, but in this moment, she knew there was a small window of time where she could manage getting away. It literally was now or never. 

Her final resort came on a whim, combing her fingers through his hair, once again letting him believe she’d given up, only to grip his hair tight enough to pull a clump of his greasy hair from him. 

Stephen’s body bowed backward, following the force of her pull roughly, nearly dropping her from where he’d hauled her up onto his shoulder. 

“What the fuck, you insolant piece of trash?!” He threw her down beside him, rage billowing from him like smoke, his explosive tendency ready to surface.

Her hip hit the ground first, followed by the rest of her. Her hands stabilizing herself for long enough to control the drop of her head. Had she not, she’d surely be unconscious. 

The figures on the floating docks moved slightly, all of which looked alarmed but in an offensive way. 

Were they back up?

Speaking of, sirens could be heard from the far side of the bridge, leaving Rey to wonder if Finn had set the second mark as a distraction. 

She rolled to her back just a second later to see him ready to descend when she remembers herself. Rey pulls her knee tight to her chest, her short skirt revealing a truce she never implied, to which he nodded and lowered. Her leg snapped upward to him, her foot flexed and heel extended, ramming it deep into his genitals. It all happened in slow motion, but the feel of her pointed heel piercing the soft tissue she assumed was his sack, spurred her to press harder. He would pay for all the times he destroyed her, and this would be of the first attempts to right his wrongs. 

Her next movements came quickly, regaining control of herself. Again she’d been on her feet. Fireworks blasted from cannons as they continued tearing each other down. Hatred spilled from her lips in a way she never thought would, and truths laced with venom came from him. 

“I knew it!” she shouted, trying to hide the victory in her voice as she screamed at him. “I knew you were spying on me!” 

A faint pop had shot off with her anger, but it hadn't been her. What it was, didn't matter now though. She needed to press for more, for all of it, and that sonofabitch was going to spill the beans right into her wire.

“You flatter yourself, flower,” he sneered. “Why would anyone want to watch you give yourself away to that redneck?”

And there it was. Clear as the obvious cup he made to cover his junk. 

“You did!” Rey squealed, angry at his return capture. 

Stephen raged on, his large hand grappling with her ankle while she repeatedly kicked the man wherever she could press her heel into his flesh. 

“I never wanted to see that! It should have been me! You were mine!” He growled, finally taking hold of her ankle and gripping it to the point of pain to make a point. “I was more than patient with you, and you still refused me. I was promised your hand! And you? You willingly fucked that man. Your bodyguard!” He robbed her of her shoe, throwing it into the harbor, only to bring her foot steadily back up to his mouth. Rey felt his teeth on her before she felt the bite. 

It was a mark of authority, one that made her scream, only to be silenced by the crackling screamers that lit the night sky. Rey knew he was trying to hurt her to control her better, but it couldn’t last. She needed to be back with her findings. She needed to be back with her proof - but then he descended further, placing her foot on the cool stone beneath her. 

Rey’s body shivered at the final contact, she thought, because all of her was touching the ground that her body simply held on tighter to the freezing feeling. Not much difference came from Stephen when he came to all fours, caging her in. There was no heat here. She knew from long ago there never would be, but now, being in this position, her legs split and dying to close, Stephen hovered above her.

“You fucked him, Rey. You let him in, over and over again,” Rey’s core instinctively clenched at the welcomed memory of how her husband filled her. “I watched his every move. Studied the way you craved it, the way you’d beg for him,” he rocked against her. “And all he had to do was what, exactly?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her voice raw and filled with anger. Her Clyde was everything to her, and having this coward cover her - touch her - make her feel as weak as he always had boiled her blood. Her fists clenched by her side, her eyes fluttered into slits of themselves - shielding herself from him to give her enough time to figure out her next move. 

“Answer me, pet,” he snarled, shifting on one arm to cup her throat. Once stable on her, he lifts the other to reach past his jacket’s breast pocket, pulling a handgun from it. Warning her once more to open her eyes, he repeats his demand.

Rey feels the cold metal at her temple, shrinking at yet another faint sound of a pop followed by a third, which has her alarmed - but not more so than the rifle Stephen chose to threaten her with. 

“...loved me,” she squealed out. “My man loves me! Something a coward like you can’t seem to figure out!” The rage inside her lifted her off of the ground, high enough to swing a right confidently into the center of his throat, the gun in his hand ground against her skull when she did. The action itself provided searing pain and both white and golden stars behind her vision.

“I’m no coward, you stupid whore! I’m the Supreme Leader of the First Order, and if you can’t bow to me as my wife, you’ll die like the rest of them.”

Rey’s eyes went wide, but spared no time. She scrambled to get up and out from under him, only to hear a round escape his barrel. 

It was a warning shot. One that sent sparks flying as the bullet ricocheted off of loose stone from the power of his close range. 

“Bullshit! You expect me to believe that blatant cry for attention?” she spat. “You can’t even court a lady right. How in God’s name do you expect me to believe that you,” she waved over all of him before speaking again. “That a creature as despicable as you could be in charge of a terrorist organization such as the First Order?”

“I’d be careful, pet!” He warned, his steps toward her just as heavy with anger as he’d been. 

“Careful? Careful of what? I’m not afraid of you or your empty promises!”

“Don’t ask for things you’d rather not see, or should I open your eyes into the rotten world you’re trying to protect?” 

Rey can’t believe her luck. He’s walked right into her trap. Every last word that spilled from his lips were more damning than the last, pinning him with years of abuse of power, money laundering, carrying out physical attacks to get his organization started, everything! It was too good to be true in terms of his ego’s over share.

She was nearly ready to smile about it, but that would put her in deep water to say the least. He still had an upper hand. He was still armed and had fired too… she should be afraid for her life instead of elated. 

“And you… you and your friends,” he spit. “They’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long. Constantly reminding me of the filth I am.”

Did he just say friends?

Does he know? 

He couldn’t… he…

Stephen grabbed her wrist to pull her back to him. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t pull away. His grip on the handle tightened, dragging the barrel down the side of her face to the column of her neck to skirt around her collarbone. The path he made stopped for a moment when he’d noticed a nude colored wire protruding out of the lace of her dress. Down went the cold metal against her hot skin, his breath on her making Rey dizzy with worry.

Stephen dipped the tip of the barrel down under the hem of her dress, revealing more of her little secret. 

“It really is too bad,” he sighed. The stench of his breath gagged her, making Rey incapable of speech. “You really were beautiful.”

“W-were?” she asked, her question barely over a whisper. 

“Mhmm,” Stephen replied, sitting the gun up so it pointed towards the sky enough to dig out the culprits.

Again Rey willed herself to breathe.

_ Make him believe he’s won... _

“What are y-you going to do?” she asked, far less innocent than she felt. 

“I think you know.” 

Stephen pulled back the gun, righting it in his hand, whispering words of encouragement. Allowing him to line it up over her heart before correcting his placement. 

“Always the one with the last word, hmm my dear? That’s fine, the head will do.”

Rey shifted just far enough away from him to bash his all knowing head with her own, startling Stephen backwards, dropping his firearm far off into the shadows. His form staggered away from her several feet, giving her the chance to take another shot. 

She could stand up for herself, threaten him the way he did her...but resolve hit her hard. It wouldn’t turn out well for her if she did. 

Fireworks had stopped momentarily, presumably getting ready for their grand finale, when yet another snarl and heavy footfalls came up behind her. His menacing form brushed by her in such a way she knew she’d hurt him even though her plan was to heal and protect the man she loved.

. . . 

Clyde hadn’t spent much time with the General before a new sense of calm flooded through him. Clyde had been in battle before, had watched men and women - even children - die in front of him. He’d killed more people than he wanted to remember for his country - but this was different.

This wasn’t for his country. He hadn’t been given orders.

This was about his wife. The woman he had pledged himself to for the rest of their lives.

This was personal.

So, Clyde pushed himself up out of the chair, his resolve showing in his eyes as he excused himself after gaining the position from the GPS device Rey was wearing. He would go to her, and he would eliminate the threat once and for all. He had been tasked in protecting Rey at all costs - and that’s what he would do.

At all costs.

Without hesitation.

The waterfront of London was one he and Rey had explored before. Their hands had been twined together as Rey pointed out things to him, a smile on her beautiful face the whole time. She truly loved the city she had been born and raised in, and it showed. He loved watching her show him everything and anything that came to her mind.

Today, though, it seemed less bright, less welcoming than it had all those months ago. Now, it was the setting for a sinister, possibly deadly showdown for Rey’s life.

Clyde ran as fast as he could to his wife, to setting things right so that they would never have to deal with Stephen again. His mind was clear, his personal mission at the forefront of his brain as he ran, his eyes scanning the horizon for his wife and the weasel. He couldn’t wait to wrap his hand around the asshole’s neck until he stopped breathing for good.

Clyde’s eyes snapped up as he caught sight of the pair. Sliding into an alleyway to give himself the element of surprise, Clyde waited until he saw the glint of metal, and then heard the sharp report of a gunshot, which spurred him into action. He could see Rey standing, had watched as she bashed Stephen’s head with her own, and he could only hope the shot had missed his woman completely.

He came at Stephen like a freight train, barreling into him with his full weight and momentum on his side. He could hear Rey let out a scream of surprise, his name leaving her lips over and over, but he didn’t care.

He was ending this here and now. There was no other option.

The two men fell to the ground, Clyde taking advantage of being bigger and stronger - even with only one full arm. He used his stump to deliver thumps even as he punched Stephen in the gut, wanting to wind and disable the man so that he would be easier to restrain.

Stephen laid a punch on his head, reaching up with his other hand to try and wrap it around his neck - which only got him a smirk from Clyde in return as he pinned the weasel down, resisting the urge to bash his head into the pavement until nothing was left but a bloody mess of tissue and bone.

No - that would be too merciful for the snake. He deserved to hurt some before he went into prison to answer for his crimes. Clyde knew he would more than likely never see the light of day again once the courts had their way with the man - so he would beat him to a bloody pulp beforehand.

His fist pummeled into Stephen again and again, the other man getting his own shots in where he could. Clyde felt blood trickling from his nose and eye, as well as his lip, but he persisted, telling the weasel over and over again that he would never have Rey, that Rey was his, that she had never belonged to him because she was far too good and pure for someone like Stephen.

He never noticed the helicopter’s overhead, but the one thing that made him pause was his wife’s frantic cries, and when he looked up at her, he smiled, and that gave Stephen the opening he needed to flip Clyde over, his head hitting the pavement as the younger man held him down, punching him now that he had the high ground, so to speak.

. . . 

“Line clear. I need visual on activation site one and two. Report,” Rose requested. 

“Eagle one and four enroute,” Finn responded, his attention finally on the task instead of his code name.

“Why weren’t they on site?” Rose asked, her tone cautious. 

“Avoiding light remotely.”

“Ah, thanks. Tell me when they’re there.”

“Yep. Eyes in five,” Finn counts down, revealing the site. 

“How many do we have off location?”

“Looks like an even spread of at least twenty, if not more containing the area.”

“Good. When I give the signal pop site three. We need to block off the west before we can close in.”

“West is already clear,” she heard her father report. He followed up with a notation of thinning crowds at that end, most commenting about wanting to beat the traffic out.

“Copy. Hold off then,” Rose halted him. “Status on Kyle?”

“In the field,” Jess aided. 

“Figured.” 

“Labs check in,” Jess followed, her breath steadied before she spoke again, “Over.”

“Labs” became her go to for calling on Poe and Kaydel, who had been holed up in the war room across town. The moment the two started talking in scientific tongues Jess backed away. Besides, Kay could hold her own alongside her smartass friend.

Poe was a character. That much was true… but she didn’t need the two of them going on about the cutesy code name he’d picked out for Kay, so Labs it was. 

“Both here,” Poe responded. “Timeline on samples?”

“Still in field,” Jess responded in a clipped tone. 

“Any way to approach? We’re running out of time.” 

Jess knew their cover grew short, the show’s finale ramped up several times as if groups of them had accidentally been lit at the same time for cover. Her eye on every movement through the crosshairs in her lookout waited, fractionally mirroring Stephen’s constant swaying. Her eye never leaving it’s dutiful mark, Jess watched for a fraction of the sign Rey was supposed to give. The one to help her decide if they should go through with the plan… and yet, she never did. The palm of her hand never faced outward, she’d kept them hidden, closed off from even her eyes in the sky - and for what reason?

Stephen put her in so much danger, enough for her to feel the pull towards an executive decision, ending the man who’d touched her family. Each time her finger would settle on the trigger, she’d see movement just beyond them. Her list of criminals taking part in Stephen’s band of goons were popped off left and right, all in perfect timing with the colorful display surely lighting this man’s ego further. 

“You’ll have to wait, Labs,” she started. “Effin’, get the recording prepped in the background and send Eagle two or three to me. Whichever is closer.”

Jess could feel it, the shift, and all at once the air in the room stilled, heavy footsteps fell in the abandoned building, ones who were doing their best to be careful but were outed by the rotted, now softwood floor. One swore just loud enough to be detected, and another whispered something to another that sounded far less like English, and more like Farsi. 

Had she found them? Or better still, did they find her?

Secretly Jess had hoped she'd found herself in this predicament. While long range with her AI Arctic Warfare rifle was her favorite, short range could be fun too, and yet… impractical. If the bodies hit the floor, she wouldn’t be able to prove she’d only been firing at intentional targets, ones that ranked high in the First Order that were “kill on site” clearance, but hadn’t dared to take over Stephen’s role. Call it - loyalty to the cause. Whatever it was, she had to be sure it was true before she endangered any of the intruders. 

“Eagle Two in your location. Scanning,” Finn replied remotely, controlling the medium sized grey drone into one of the broken windows. “FLIR reading counts four. Back up three minutes out. Too dark to see…” Finn loses control of Eagle Two, his screen going blank, only to curse into the microphone. “Fucking get out of there! Hostiles!”    
  
Finn, who didn't know what the hell her role was, stood up so quickly from his laptop that his legs hit the table he’d been working at, toppling the thing over in his wake. “Does anyone have eyes on Jess?” He’d been so worked up about it he hadn’t realized he never took his finger off the receiver while he rushed around in a panic. 

No answer. 

Not one person responded, leaving Finn to hyperventilate. He thought of how weird she was, how stand-offish the girl seemed to be. She was always “over it” - but how could she be now? They were all just students at some school, crossing paths for moments out of their lives, and yet he felt the need to rush out of the building to find her. 

He grabbed his laptop, mouse and a few other things to run down to where Kaydel and Poe had been hanging out since Clyde had escaped and all. There really was no need for his post, he thought. 

The war room had been a sight to see with a large majority of his own screens projected on the wall, while all types of dressed officials stood around watching it unfold. Indiscreet conversations all around made the room hum, all stopping to look back at him in the doorframe. 

“Um, just,” he said, pointing at the hall, “was looking for… I’ll…”

“Come on in son,” an older gentleman said. “Yer the one Pava calls FN, right?”

“Effin’, sir,” he nods, and the man chuckles. 

“Of course she does…” he waved his hand to reveal a seat for him. “Why dontcha sit down?”

“I’m sorry sir. I can’t. My friend needs me.”

“Listen, big deal,” the man responded, “Ya might wanna sit down…”   
  


Finn looks around to survey the scene once more, finding both Poe and Kaydel working through the footage taken already, hearing bits and pieces of how they’ve come to realize it too. 

“What do ya know about, flower?” he asked, waiting for Finn to sit. 

“Who are you?” Finn retorted, cautious of giving anymore information out. 

“Oh, kid, I’m no one you have to worry about! The name’s Han.” There was a slight old man grumble to his voice, one that his grandfather would often do when he didn't know quite how to deliver information to his wife. Too many memories flooded him to count, but it certainly had him wondering if that was an  _ old man _ thing. “General Han Solo,” he added as he outstretched his hand. 

Finn warily offers his own, making every effort to speak when Han laughs, assuring him that it will all make sense soon. 

. . . 

“Park clear. Moving in for extraction,” Rose made contact as she moved her team to close in on the perimeter. 

“Copy,” answered her father. “Status on the PM?”

“Already home,” Thanya whispered. Her role was only to keep up with the family rather than follow her husband with a squad. It was simply to keep Elizabeth occupied. The woman had been known to lose her mind at the drop of a hat, so much so that it was imperative to take one for the team and hang back with her. 

“Since when?” asked Rose.

“About an hour ago. Maybe a little more. Nigel said he was feeling ill.”

“And Elizabeth followed?”

“Y-yes? Why shouldn't she have? The kids are all home too,” she paused. “Should I be worried?”

“Not sure. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

“Copy.”

It took less than an hour to finalize clearing the last building before moving through the park with her team. Officers from around the other side had finally made it, their faces still shrouded in darkness despite the lit sky, their firearms pulled, all sneaking up to contain the two men on the ground. 

It was only moments before thundering blades of what sounded like a military helicopter roared through the night sky, blinding their forces with the pool of white light smothering their target.

Clyde laid into Stephen one powerful punch after another, growling at him for threatening his wife. The two men were too stubborn to give up, despite how exhausting their fight had been, they still took swings, counterstrikes, and cheap shots to finish the other. Stephen finally being successful with yet another one, spit while he threatened Clyde and his family, promising that a team was already in the states hunting them down. It was a lie, Clyde could tell, but Stephen continued, giving details of every threat he could muster up, speaking about them by name as if he had the capability to do so. 

Stephen rolled them to the side to hold Clyde down, throwing fist after fist at his face, splitting his eyebrow open. Blood flowed freely down the side of his face, burning the sore as it went. The coward’s words stung him the most when Stephen switched back to the harm he promised his wife. 

“The best, though, will be when I kill that wench… Don’t worry, I’ll be sure she _only remembers_ _me_, _the way I feel_ before I pull the trigger,” he growled, raising his fist to his chest getting ready to lay the final blow to Clyde’s now gushing brow. 

It was Clyde’s turn to growl, his vision darkening despite the odd halo around the fucker. “Yer fulla shit!” He delivered his own blows, nearly able to feel the rage rebuild the fist he wished he could use. 

Deaf to the sound of officers calling for them to stand down, the men rolled themselves to the edge of the dock, neither ready to let go of the other. Clyde’s plan was simple, drown him. Give him the same horror he’d given his girl in the blink of an eye. They were so close, and yet he found himself being forced under, Stephen’s arm on his throat.

Clyde struggled against him, the odd burning sensation of water surging up his nose at this angle had been strangely just as painful as his eye now. He could feel himself swallow, his adam’s apple bobbing against the pressure of Stephen’s arm there began to shift, pushing on to him harder still. 

It had to have been several seconds of scrambling against him, Clyde cursing his damned stump, using his legs to try to kick him off instead, when he felt the man drop, his dead weight on top of him. His arm falling off of his neck into the water, much to Clyde’s surprise. 

He surged forward, sitting up and gagging on the disgusting water that no longer threatened his life. Stephen laid beside him, his upper body drifting away while his legs held him in place on the dock, leaving Clyde to wonder who pulled the trigger. His brow furrowed as he tried blinking away the water and accepting the light around him. Still having trouble hearing the commotion around him, he found himself scanning the area instead. Bodies in the darkness surged forward - but not for him. 

The first person Clyde recognized was Rose, which quickened his pulse. 

Where’s Rey?!

He shouted her name, looking around frantically for her, not seeing any forms that could possibly be her. He panicked. Where was she? 

Clyde surged to his feet, missing a squeak, but felt her hand on his forearm, steadying herself beside him.

“Clyde, I…” Rey began.    
  
He could feel her emotions deep within his heart, but had no idea what to say first. He’d been so angry with her. She’d been so stupid, promised him they’d handle things together and ran off to do it herself. 

  
  
  


. . .

Clyde reached out, pulling Rey to him as he panted, trying to keep from coughing up more of the disgusting tasting water that he was certain he had swallowed. The paramedics rushed up, and before he could comfort his wife they had pulled her away, insisting that he needed to sit down until they could get a cot for him and get him to the hospital.

“Bullshit ya are. I’ll be fine, I gotta talk to my wife, and if ya’ll don’t let me do that, I reckon I can lambast y’all like I did that pig,” Clyde gestured towards the water, where a pool of blood floated all around Stephen’s still form.

“Sir, your wife is still here, we just need to check your injuries - you were in the water and could have taken water into your lungs. Please…” The medic pleaded with Clyde, looking around for someone to help him in case their patient started fighting them.

“I said no!” Clyde stood from the concrete, his eyes searching for his wife in the people now milling about. His eyes found Rose, Kay and Finn, but not the set of hazel eyes he needed to see. “Rey!” He bellowed, pushing the medic aside roughly as he stepped forward, determined not to stop until he was holding his girl in his arms. He had so much he needed to say, so much she needed to know.

He was positive she was shaken from the events that had transpired, as well. Seeing your husband and the man who had tried to force himself on you time and time again fighting and tumbling into the chilly water had to have unnerved her. She needed him, just like he needed her. Neither one of them would feel right, or feel like their souls were set right, until they were together and in each others arms.

“REY!” He yelled again, hoping his voice would carry over the wail of sirens and the commotion of police and special ops people trying to secure a perimeter around the crime scene, shuffling civilians out of the area as quickly as they could. “DARLIN’! WHERE ARE YA?”

His mind was a whirl of chaos, of dark thoughts of Stephen somehow coming to life once more, and stealing his wife away to some dark place where he’d never see her again. Every step was faster, with more purpose as he shoved even more people aside in his quest to find her.

_ He needed her. _

Finally he found her in the crowd, talking to Pava, and when their eyes met it was like the world faded away around them, like they were the only two people in the universe. It was surreal, for sure, like a scene from one of those ultra dramatic chick flicks Mels loved to torture him and Jimmy with when they were still living at home.

Now he had a different home, of course, and it rested within the heart of the beautiful woman moving towards him. He would burn down the world to get to her if he had to, because his home rested with her - no matter where they were. His roots and his family rested in Boone County, and Clyde knew he could always go home to it - but he would be wherever Rey was from now on.

Her arms went around his neck, her warm, soft lips met his still cold ones, and everything felt right again. They were together, the threat was eliminated, and finally they were free to live the life they had planned together, the one they talked about late at night, when they were laying naked and tangled together in their bed after making love for hours.

One with a family. With love and light and happiness. One where they helped people make a better world for everyone.

“Clyde,” she breathed quietly into his ear, “Are you okay? You’re bleeding and you almost drowned… he… he almost… I almost lost you.” Tears sprang into Rey’s eyes, and Clyde pulled her closer.

“Shh, darlin’. It’s over now. It’s just some cuts n bruises, I seen worse in my days. Nothin’ ta worry about. It’s over now, Rey. We can just go and be ourselves now, have that life we planned out, ya know? We’ll go back ta Ithaca, and I’ll figure out somethin’ ta do while ya finish yer degree n all.” Clyde kissed her again, letting go of her so he could raise his hand up, letting his fingers brush away her tears. “No cryin’. This is just another new beginnin’ for us, darlin’. We got so much ta look forward too.” His fingers ghosted over her cheek as he gave her the rare smile that was only reserved for her. “I love ya, Rey. Yer my everythin’.”

“I love you, too, Clyde. You’re everything to me, as well.” Rey smiled at her husband, and in an instant, she was ripped out of his arms, her slender body being slammed to the concrete as the police descended on her. One of them put their hands on her back, forcing her down as they handcuffed her.

Clyde felt the world tip once more, everything blurring and voices becoming senseless, meaningless words coming from people’s mouths as the police helped Rey stand finally, her tear filled eyes meeting his as she mouthed, “I’m sorry. I love you,” as they led her away from him once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since the moment she’d been thrown to the ground, not even the feel of the cement biting into her palms and knees was enough for Rey to realize what she’d done. Time seemed to slow more than it had ever in her life. Far more so than the steps she took towards her man the night they agreed to be married, she was sure. 
> 
> Seconds felt like lifetimes. 
> 
> Her decision… 
> 
> Her sentence…
> 
> They were one and the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are having so much fun writing this... and it's almost done, guys! Next chapter is the last one! <3 Thank you all for reading. 
> 
> Thanks to [Shuhannon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuhannon) for the moodboard. Check out her incredible fic called "It'll Pass", it's one of my favorites!

[ ](https://imgur.com/ojCbzeK)

Since the moment she’d been thrown to the ground, not even the feel of the cement biting into her palms and knees was enough for Rey to realize what she’d done. Time seemed to slow more than it had ever in her life. Far more so than the steps she took towards her man the night they agreed to be married, she was sure. 

Seconds felt like lifetimes. 

Her decision… 

Her sentence…

They were one and the same. 

Hands fell on her back, keeping her down, no doubt. Not that they needed to. Not that it was necessary. She already felt numb, drained from the day, the pain, Stephen… and the terror she’d gone through witnessing her husband at the receiving end of the torture that bastard was serving him.

Not even her last line of defense made her feel the comfort it promised. There would be more. There would be people to answer to, but as the white light flooded her vision, she gave in. There was simply just no more fight left in her. 

Men and women shouted commands and moved their mouths, but sounds were silenced, her mind evidently protecting her from her building anxiety. Faceless officers cuffed her, the cold metal against her wrists was of the few things she truly noticed… the ones that attempted to call her back, at least. 

Of the times she felt weightless, this was not one she wanted to remember. The rounded sides of her shoes drew waves of sorts in the stone below her before she’d been lifted and placed back on her feet. They tingle for a moment as she settled there. 

Upright. 

On display. 

In the wrong. 

Arrested. 

Rey remembers her first step away. How awkward it felt to be behind those lines as an enemy of the law. It wasn’t who she was, but now was. Now things were different. 

Her flats clacked heavily on the pavement. It was the next thing she could hear...her ears ached for silence, though, which left her to abandon those too - like she did her life.

The mission had been a success, that son of a bitch died at her hands - and she was fine with it. But that was all. She didn't care for the news, his family or otherwise. She didn’t care what it meant for her now, especially knowing that her husband was safe. Nothing could touch them now, except the law, which had her in its clutches.The thought of it made her proud, Stephen could no longer control or silence her. 

Rey’s brow furrowed as she accepted the accomplishment. Her shoulders rolled backward, pulling her spine straight as if it had been held up by a string. Rey walked proudly with the officers to where they guided her, despite her husband’s protests. 

Clyde rushed to her, being pushed back by wave after wave of personnel. Some trying to aid him with his wounds, others were ranking police officers threatening to take him, too, if he didn’t stop intervening with her arrest. 

“Go home, Clyde,” she said, her words were painful to even her ears, and still she said them. 

“No, Rey! I won’t. Yer mine for better or worse, ya hear me?” Clyde shoved yet another officer off of her, his eyes pleading for time. 

“Sir, don’t make me arrest you,” came the last warning. 

“Clyde, I made my choice. I’ll stand by it, just like I stand by you.” 

“Then why are ya doin’ this? Why d’ya keep pushin’ me away? Ya ain’t like this. Yer mine. Sweetest, most noble woman I’ve ever met, ya couldn’t have killed him. Ya, ya aren't made for that.”

Rey nodded, her answer hanging between them, crisp and clear like orders from Earl. “I did what had to be done.” 

And with that, she’d felt a hand at her head guiding her down to duck so that she could be seated within the cruiser. 

Rey’s eyes stayed low as the door shut between them. There she waited for the officer to join her to take her away - but nothing happened. Several moments had gone by before Rey looked up again. Her fuming husband was barking at anyone who made eye contact with him. It was so out of character for him that Rey found it hard to look away. She’d been determined to know what being stood up for felt like, that when it happened she couldn't help herself. She needed to see how crazy he’d gotten, doing his best to fight this outcome. 

It wasn't long before his hand found the handle and ripped it open, hauling her out of it, “Y’all’s arrestin’ the wrong person! My wife is innocent! She wouldn’t hurt no one, dontcha see? Not even that twisted sonofabitch!”

Her body shook in his arms, her admittance wrecked her, making it hard for her to see now. _ _

_ “No Clyde…There was no other choice. Save you or let him kill you. Don’t you see?” _

It’s what she should have said, instead Rey watched in horror as her husband had resisted arrest. Her hero. Her man. Rey’s life flashed before her eyes, watching him struggle. All Clyde ever did was look out for her. He was the reason she felt safe. He was the person that gave her a meaning, that gave it wings, that gave her hope… he was the man that brought it all to her - and being the cause of yet another problem - Rey let the anxiety eat her alive. It claimed all she was, making her eyes roll back into her head to chase the grey waves of darkness pulling her further into the endless night. 

. . . 

It’d been three months. Three to sort through the entirety of what happened. All evidence had been paned through, linking Stephen to the remainder of their findings. Bazine had been arrested for being a conspirator, allowed an early release if she gave in and helped the military snuff out the First Order once and for all. She took no time in swapping sides… or rather being rid of the orange jumpsuit she’d been forced into since her capture. 

Clyde had been released that night, surprisingly into the arms of his Mother in Law. The woman had been a mess, but wanted the details, all of which he couldn’t quite discuss. It seemed less like she wanted to destroy the American Rey married now. Instead, Elizabeth found herself truly wanting to understand where it all went wrong. 

“You’ll have to wait, ma’am,” Clyde answered, his lips were sealed. 

“Oh, I’m...please, call me Elizabeth,” she fawned over him. “I… I’ve been… I.”

Clyde had the decency to stop her babbling. Or try to, at least. The woman simply couldn't understand how to stop though, which made him wonder if all of that incessant pushing for the sale of her daughter was a tic she truly had. 

“It’s fine, Elizabeth. I’m not the one ya gotta apologize ta, ya see.”

Rey remembered the tone of his voice, her husband leaving the station without being allowed to see her one last time before her sentence began. She remembers the way it burned… the way she sobbed… the way she prayed to be swallowed up by the ground...she felt all of it. 

In this moment though, this day called to her in a way that Rey couldn't quite describe. Her hearing shouldn't have come so soon, and she knew it had to have something to do with her status. If she’d been anyone else she would have been in for life. 

And yet, she’s in shackles, which connect the chains on her wrists to the ones on her feet, being paraded around in front of all present in the courtroom. Her eyes shamefully dropped to the floor, not wanting to connect with the people she had let down, especially not Clyde’s. 

“Darlin’,” he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. 

Rey’s wrist protested against the cuff just enough to see part of her tattoo, the only reason she’d been able to get through those long, cold nights in the cell she expected to be kept in. Her message was clear - she’d educated the public to a point, she hoped at least, that status couldn’t necessarily mean a cash exchange and a clean slate. Rey expected to be treated with the same care their correctional facilities would place on anyone else, and she got it alright. 

Her eyes lifted from her skin to her husband, her gaze meeting his heated one. 

“Baby,” she mouthed, staring at him. She noticed his second wave of wounds he claimed from protecting her were clean and healed, showing nearly no sign of ever being there made her feel unstable. She hadn’t been there for him. She hadn’t cleaned them for him, or showed him proper care. The fact of the matter had broken her.

Rey covered her face with her hands, falling to the ground in grief, forgetting all about her efforts that had made surviving Stephen a reality. 

Cameras had been set up on either side of the courthouse, all focusing on the live coverage of her breakdown. Her husband surged through the aisle to try to get to her, and was warded off yet again by the police that stood ground there. 

It took her several long moments to help her up from the floor and guide her to her seat. It was there. That she knew. An officer’s hand kept her steady until she could handle being there on her own. Once released, the cool air of the courtroom had found her again. A chill racked her body, and voices began to quiet behind her. 

“All rise,” a clear voice sounded, calling the courtroom to order far before their panel of judges had found their seats expecting the same. Their leader was an older man, bald and wrinkling, sun-spotted skin decorated his head doing nothing to ease the way the light shone down on him glaring in her eyes at every turn. His own had been glossy, but hidden behind fisheye lenses that generously magnified them to fill the large frames. He spoke in a raspy manner too, this much Rey could tell, supposing he was either sick or a heavy smoker. His gavel swiftly hit it’s block and time immediately sped up, launching her back into the past as if she wasn't already living in it. 

Now, here in this courtroom, it’d become spoken word instead of a branded memory. Now they would hear her. Now, here before God, they would listen. 

The trial itself felt surreal. 

It took her back, through her life choices all the way up to the moment she’d pulled the trigger, the evidence in plain sight, along with testimonies from her friends - the ones she called family. They took the court through each step of their involvement, including Jess’, where she finally revealed her true self. 

“State your name and occupation for the court,” the judge requested.

“Jessica Pava, MI6 agent,” she replied evenly. 

Murmurs began around them. Even Rey turned her head curiously, her brow furrowing while the pieces all came together in her mind. Cameras seemed to turn away from her to focus on the one on the stand. 

There had only been a few of the Queen’s agents out in the field for other individuals that weren’t considered within her circle. 

Why her, Rey wondered. 

Apparently, so did the rest of the courtroom. 

Rey swiveled around, her chains clanking loudly as she did, surprisingly startled, causing only one camera to turn back to her. Rey mouthed, “Did you know?” to Clyde, who most definitely did not allow his eyes to leave her. 

“No, darlin’,” he replied.

It was seconds, only seconds between finding out her occupation, the one she gave after taking her oath, when Finn swore loudly, “Bullshit!” 

He still wondered how Jess got away from the madness in her building without a scratch, but never imagined she was actually a badass. Rose grabbed his arm, whisper shouting with him to shut up. 

“I thought you were an  _ American! _ You can’t serve us if you’re with them.”

“Who said  _ anything  _ about serving?” Jess winked at Rose, who had asked the question. 

“ _ What _ ?” Finns eye’s squinted, protecting him from his girl’s stare. 

“This isn’t a game. You can’t just shout whenever you want,” she hissed, watching Jess pull her well known wallet from her back pocket… “What the… f—“ Rose followed.

Rey jumped when she heard the judge’s gavel hit the block several times, settling the court. 

Jess only turned to look at her friends before handing her documents to the court house’s official. Upon review of said items, she’s thanked for her services but remained still, answering only when spoken to. She’d recounted the plan as the others did, giving all that she could that wasn’t confidential. When asked who could press on and give the information the courtroom desired, Jess simply turned to the one Rey only knew as G.P. and before Rey knew it, she was being released without another word.

It all happened so fast. 

She’d been whisked into her husband’s strong and comforting arms. There in his hold, Rey could feel their time together wash over her. Memories she had of this place hit her like a freight train. 

“Clyde, I’m…” Rey began, only to be hushed. 

Clyde dipped his head to nuzzle his cheek against hers, “Dontcha say another word. Not till we’re home.” 

The rumble in his chest, the timbre in his voice called her closer to him. 

“I need ya, Clyde. Cover me ‘n never let me go,” she cried, and her arms reached around his torso, nearly clawing up his back to hold on. 

Her husband’s promises always kept her warm. He’d never leave her, she knew that. Even through the hardest of times, he learned to stand with her. The very fact made her sob. 

. . .

Clyde knew to take her away from all the media. Calls for Rey never seemed to cease, each one looking for a chance to interview his wife. The more they called, the more he insisted they went off the grid, and Rey, well, she was more than willing to go. 

  
  


….

Three months. Clyde had spent three months that felt like three lifetimes without his wife by his side. He had felt disjointed, like he was half a person as he muddled around London. He visited Rey every day, refusing to listen to her as she begged him to go home.

Because he didn’t have a home without her. She was his home.

He was homeless currently, and even though Nigel and Elizabeth were trying their hardest to include him now, Clyde preferred to be by himself, in his hotel room, pacing and waiting. What else could he do? Rey was his anchor and his partner, and nothing felt right without her.

Finally, the day of her trial came to pass, and as he watched his wife - shackled and accompanied by police as if she was a common criminal - Clyde did his best to stay calm, uttering a soft “Darlin’” as she was walked past him on her way to the front of the courtroom.

Clyde had known Jess was more than she was letting on - but hearing she was MI6 was a whole other thing completely. Sure, she had been a thorn in his ass from the moment he met her in Ithaca - but now he understood. Jess’ directive had been the same as his - Rey.

When she had been released into his arms later that day, Clyde had never been more thankful. It took everything in him not to fall to his knees to thank whatever omnipotent beings that allowed Rey to be returned to him. Instead, he held onto his wife, steadying her as they weaved their way to a waiting vehicle - and the rest of their lives.

They had gone to the hunting cabin, where they wouldn’t be bothered by reporters. As soon as the front door had closed, Rey was in his arms, pressing her lips to his. 

“Darlin’, ya gotta let us get unpacked n settled in…” Clyde tried to protest between Rey’s lips meeting his again and again.

“No, we don’t. We can unpack later. I want you naked and in our bed… now.” Rey looked up at him, a coy little smile on her face, and who was Clyde to deny his girl anything, especially after all they had been through the last three months?

“Clyde?” Rey asked a few hours later, as they lie wrapped up around each other, dozing after a long session of lovemaking.

“Yeah, darlin’?” His eyes were closed, and Rey’s fingers were carding through his hair softly. Clyde hummed low in his throat, enjoying the feel of his wife’s skin against his again. His entire world right now rested in this tiny cabin high in the mountains of West Virginia, and nothing else mattered to him.

“I’m sorry, baby. For… for what happened. I...I know you didn’t even want me to do it, and then I ended up in jail for three months. I… I robbed us of three months together.” Rey looked up at his face, tears streaking down her face.

Clyde popped his eyes open, and he reached up to cup her chin. “Darlin’... it’s in tha past. This is our life now, our new beginnin’. Now I know I was angry n all, n yer right, I didn’t want ya puttin’ yerself in danger like that. There were other ways we coulda brought down the weasel and his cronies.” He pressed his lips to hers before releasing her chin and using his fingers to swipe her tears away. “No cryin’, darlin’. We’re together again, n ain’t nothin’ gonna tear us apart again.”

Rey sobbed, trying to articulate her thoughts between them. “But… I… you were alone and angry for all that time, baby. I knew you weren’t doing well, I could see it in your eyes when you came to visit me in that awful place.”

Clyde continued to wipe away her tears, his fingers moving in a soft, slow pattern along her face. “All that matters ta me is that yer here with me, darlin’. We got our whole lives ahead a us now. We can put all that nonsense behind us and get ta livin’ our lives. Right?”

“Y-Yes…” Rey’s tears came to a stop, finally, and she looked at Clyde, who was gazing down at her lovingly. “W-What did you do while I was in jail?”

“I… paced. I was spittin’ mad, for the most part. Yer Daddy, he came to see me. Kept me up ta date on what was goin’ on in yer case. We talked, ‘bout what plans we had made, and ‘bout fishin’. He loves that boat a his in Ithaca, don’t he?”

  
  


“Yes, he does,” Rey replied, letting a slight smile come to her lips as she thought about the countless hours her father had spent on the lake. 

“I think he likes me alright, now. I don’t think he sees me as some ignorant redneck anymore. I told him about all the schoolin’ I done when I was in the Army n all. He apologized ta me for the way yer Momma had treated me. Yer Daddy, he loves ya, darlin’. He gave me his blessin’ for marryin’ ya, but I had ta promise him I’d keep ya safe n always make sure ya were taken care of n all. Wasn’t nothin’ I wasn’t plannin’ on doin’, anyway.” Clyde shrugged before giving her a small smile. “I told him there wasn’t nothin’ I wouldn’t do for ya, that ya were the love of my life, and that I had vowed ta take care a ya the day I set eyes on ya, and that hadn’t changed none.”

Rey moved closer to Clyde, intertwining her legs with his and one of her hands coming up to trace light patterns on his chest. She couldn’t get enough of moments like this, especially after three months of being without him.

“At night, though… that was the hardest time fer me. Not havin’ ya next ta me ‘bout drove me crazy. I knew ya were in that cell, n there wasn’ta damn thing I could do ta get ta ya, ta comfort ya. Yeah, I ain’t gonna lie. I mighta drank a few nights in there til I passed out. I just…” Clyde huffed out a long breath before continuing. “I missed ya somethin’ fierce. I ain’t never missed anyone or anythin’ as much as I missed ya, Rey.”

Clyde ran his fingers through her hair, looking down at the center of his universe with all the love and devotion he felt shining in his eyes. He never wanted to be without Rey again, never wanted to spend another night apart from her the rest of their lives. They had been to hell and back, and had experienced more as a couple already then most couples would in an entire lifetime.

“So, now that I gotcha back in my arms, we just gotta figure out what ta do with the rest of our lives, don’t we? I vote for stayin’ in bed a lot, ya know, get a start on them youngins we both want. Makin’ babies is hard work, so I guess we should probably stop every once in a while ta eat n such… keep up our energy…” Clyde smirked at her, and Rey reached off to swat at his shoulder playfully.

“Clyde Logan! You horny beast of a man, you!” Rey’s laughter rolled past her lips like a song, causing Clyde’s grin to widen, and one eye to close in a wink.

“Hey now, listen here, darlin’, I married me a gorgeous little vixen, and I can’t seem ta keep my hands offa her. Seems to me that she feels the same, since she barely lets me outta bed ta throw another log on the fire when it needs it. I’m just tryin’ ta be a good husband here!”

Rey grinned, rolling over onto Clyde and straddling him, her heat sliding over his once more thick length as she leaned down and kissed him long and hard. After she pulled away, Rey looked down at him, her hair hanging around her face as she smiled. 

“Well, then, husband… how about we get back to work?”

. . . 

Beads of sweat roll down her neck as she is struggling through her latest panic attack. It’s been in broad daylight this time, one she couldn’t handle walking through the aisle of the local grocery store. It was just a squeak. A turn, the sound of the wheel grinding against its axle that swallowed her whole, the handlebar of her cart had been the only grip she had left in this real world. 

Rey’s vision had gone dark and yet her eyes stayed open, searching. Nothing around her - no way to get back… she felt as though her body was pulled from an aircraft and flung into space. Flecks of white twinkled and faded like stars or dust. Her vision pulled around her as if she’d begun having an out of body experience. 

That’s what it was. 

It had to be. 

Rey forced her body to respond, her fingers gripping the bar. 

“Stay,” she whispered to herself. 

A fine twinge between the fabric of her being rolled over her skin, anchoring her rogue soul back to her. It felt odd, something thin and strong like thread, pulling her back into herself. The closer she got to herself the more had reached out to tether herself to her form. 

“It’s not time,” she whispered to herself. “There’s still more to do.”

Clyde’s name rested on her lips, the struggle to move them present, and Rey gasped as the burn took over. Her skin flushed with residual fear and yet, despite all of it, she settled once more, firmly with her feet on the ground, unmoving. Not a muscle, not even her eyelids, until she could usher her husband’s name. A request for help. One that meant facing their fears head on once more. 

“Clyde?” Rey looked up at him, watching as he turned away from the cooler door with a gallon of milk. 

He’d taken one look at her, his brow furrowing immediately, “What’s wrong, Darlin’?”

“W-We have to go back,” she gulped. 

“Ya sure ya feelin’ alright? Ya look a little pale ta me,” he frowned, carefully putting the milk away. 

“Yes. I-We need to go. These feelings, these …”

“Ya havin’ another panic attack, sweetheart?”

Rey nodded while he encircled his arms around her. 

“I’ve never felt anything quite like that before. I-I felt like I was only seconds from being completely lost...dis-disconnected… I mean.” 

Her man could only sigh. These episodes were only happening every so often, and now they seemed to happen constantly. Being away was supposed to set her free, and yet not speaking to people had driven her to a new level of crazy that she truly feared. Instead of speaking, he reached around her to pick up her purse, hang it over his shoulder, and move his hand to her waist to guide her away from the cart, leaving it and their items inside. 

They’d made no additional mention to their plans that night, both knowing exactly where they were going, together. Clyde made sure to cover her, his hand always somewhere on her, whether their fingers were laced together or he’d thrown his arm around her shoulders, or pressed his cheek against hers, she was shown the protection she desired. He knew his wife after all, and while this was scary for her, it was also for him. 

Going back meant having to relive it all over again, and yet, Rey allowed the meeting to take place here. Studio lighting had been set up in the courtyard where Stephen’s statue had been dismantled and taken down. While the space had been liberated of that man’s hold on the public, it still felt oddly occupied. 

And still she stayed. 

Both Rey and Clyde sat down next to each other in short sturdy lounge chairs while their host managed on a stool, more concerned with how her camera set ups were. One set up on one side of her over the woman’s shoulder. Rey had known her from events her family would attend, had been of the oddly quiet - relaxed reporters she’d come to enjoy speaking with over the years. She’d been well known, mostly due to her patience. Ms. Amilyn Holdo had interviewed  _ them all _ . Her expressive eyes and calm demeanor had been the underlying factor in most overshares, the ones the media called exclusives.

The ones no other reporter could get…

And still, she would.

Rey believed Amilyn was the one that deserved this opportunity, and so she waited for the woman to fix the halo looking headband she wore in her faintly lavender colored hair once more before thanking her for having them. 

“Goodness dear. No, thank you for having me. Please, I’m more than grateful for having this opportunity to finally speak with London’s bravest heroine,” she promised.

Rey could only shake her head in response, her eyes welling up with tears. 

“I’m no hero,” her emotion strained against her throat. Rey could feel her husband capture her hand with his, ready to give her an out, an escape. She didn’t have to go through with this, she could do it anywhere else rather than in the pits of her hell. 

“Mrs. Logan,” Amilyn started, “with all due respect, I don’t think you’re letting yourself believe what happened. Your stress from the occurrence is eating you alive. Even if you’re humble enough to admit not wanting a title, I ask that you kindly remind yourself how many people followed you in, how many survived this take down, it…” She scooped her thin hair that covered her ear up to settle it behind the shell of it. It was her nervous tic, Rey knew. “It sparked a revolution, of sorts. There’s been a rise in military applicants across the board. People are willing to join the cause more than ever because of what you and your team were able to unearth on your own… there - have you not seen the news at all?”

Rey shakes her head, overwhelmed by it all. 

“I, we, my husband and I,” she stumbled over her words, “we were dealing with the stress of it all elsewhere. I wouldn’t call it hiding,” she swallowed, even though she wanted to. 

“It’s healing. Most do it,” Amilyn nodded. “It’s normal. But now you’re here, and it’s time to know.”

Rey returned her nod, turning her head to the side to look at her man. They did their best together, holding one another through the smallest of activities. He read nearly everything he could find to her, their time together had found a groove, a new normal - and as important as it was, Rey felt as though her mind was still full. There was so much to say, so much to remove… “It is,” she agreed. “It’s time to talk for the sake of closure.”

And out it came. 

Effortlessly. 

She spoke about growing up at home, what it was like for her to never speak these words, never let anyone in on this level, and all the while Amilyn looked at her like she understood. It gave Rey the comfort in confiding in this woman, forgetting the cameras or the very nature of the interview. She led them through terrorism in her world, what it was like to meet Clyde, how soon she knew she loved him, how safe she knew she was in his presence. Continuing on and on through all of their decisions leading up until almost losing him, “The look on his face when he’d been thrown from the vehicle, the way he stood up for me, I knew I’d do anything to figure out the person behind it.” Rey’s brow furrowed even while her eyes widened. “He’d been only good to me. No one would get the right to take him…”

“And justice had to be served,” Amilyn finished. 

Rey’s mouth opened and then closed, only to open again. “Something like that. I had a hunch. There had been so many indications of power struggles between myself and Stephen and my own family that led me to believe that I was trapped. But the more I listened, the more I let them believe they were in control, the more power they gave me.”

It was Amilyn’s turn to return the gesture, asking what she meant by that. 

“Well, it’s simple, now that I think about it. I-I listened and they spoke. Stephen, he’d say things to me in a code of sorts and make me feel weak. It was so often I, well, I played the card. My friends,” she squeezed Clyde’s hand, “and my husband, they were the real heroes here. They stood by my side even when it was the hardest path. They were here, ready to do what was right.”

“Sometimes,” Clyde’s voice called her attention back to him, her eyes meeting his, he continued, “it takes the right person ta start that fire.” He shakes his head in what looks like admiration. “Ya can’t imagine how strong ya are, Darlin’. Ya, Rey, yer faced with too much in this spotlight a yers, and ya always been gettin’ on with it even through yer stress.” He shook his head, “ya can’t imagine how proud I am ta be yers.”

Rey smiled, unsure of what to say at first. She’d agreed with him that it was a life she knew and one he learned. In the time that they’d been together she’d never have expected him to feel her life as deeply as he did, but the man just knew. And so she admitted not knowing just how hard a life he had with her, apologizing for it as she went. 

“I wish there was a better way to have broken it to you back then, but you had your own ghosts, your own stress brought on by that hellish man. I couldn’t break you any further. All I could see was how much he’d hurt you. How much he’d taken from us… and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. You deserved better. And what kind of wife would I be if I didn’t try?”   
  
“Ya’d still be mine, just like ya always been,” he gave her a compassionate look. One that rejuvenated her heart and relit her soul. It was exactly what she needed to press on, to get over this hurdle. 

“I don’t regret it, Clyde,” she sighed. “It was scary and I…”

“Ya still did it anyway…”

“I did. I couldn't let this opportunity get away. And so I left…”   
  
Rey recounts her actions, her intentions, how she crossed paths with Stephen, and the past the two had. She’d asked all the right questions, listened, made him believe, and failed at keeping their distance. “He’d overpowered me. I thought I was ready. I thought wrong,” she swallowed, her eyes traveling to the ground as if they could replay how she’d found herself. 

“We have footage of that; all of it, actually. It’s my understanding that it’s part of the reason they were able to shorten your sentence, applying the very fact that you were acting in self-defense,” Amilyn interrupted.

Rey looked at her queerly. 

“It couldn't have been, I didnt - I wasn't able to act on retaliation until well after I’d been found by my husband,” she shakes her head. “I couldn't have been released for that.”

“It’s in the reports…”

“Well, they’re wrong,” Rey started. The pain of hiding this from her husband had bubbled over. It was time to tell him. The world would find out as he did, and that in it of itself made her feel like hurling. 

Clyde shifted in his chair to try to soothe her. She knew this. It had been something he’d gotten so good at that when his fingertips met her back she eased right into them to accept him. This time though, she froze. 

“I,” she gasped. “I killed Stephen, Clyde. It wasn't for what he did to me, but what he was doing to you! He was going to drown you!” she cried. Rey’s whole body shook, remembering how it felt to pick up that cold handgun only to wonder how many people had died at his hand. “Every thought I’d ever had rushed out of me then.” Rey paused, feeling a surge of adrenaline rocket through her body, making the space around her crackle. “All I could see was my target, how the breeze felt as it fluttered through my hair as if some force was holding it back so I had the chance to focus on my target.”

Rey breathed, unaware at the silence between the two and the world around them. 

“It all sort of happened in slow motion,” she frowned, remembering how hard she had to squeeze the trigger to get the weapon to fire. Her arm jolting back hard enough to worry if the bullet would have gone astray. “I prayed you’d stay down, Clyde. Safe from what I’d done.” Rey choked on her words. “If you’d have gotten up, I would have died too.”

She watched her husband’s eyes redden, overcome with emotion. 

“Don-Dontcha dare talk like that, Rey,” he swallowed. 

“I couldn't. I’d be nothing without you. I’d of.. I’d of…” Rey started to lose herself. 

“Now, it don't matter what ya woulda done. It didn't happen like that n ya need ta let it go,” Rey nodded at him, sniffling as she went. 

Her admission had been relieving to a point, but her body heaved with months of unshed tears. The interview had since been finished as Amilyn had decided Rey didn't need that sort of coverage. Instead, she wrapped up her segment, assuring their viewers that a bright future was in the works, now that Rey’s release had unlocked the prison she brought around with her, ensuring that they could do the same. 

Clyde had been the first to stand from the chair he’d been in to scoop his wife up into his arms. “Ya can tell me anything Rey. Why, darlin? Why didn't ya tell me this?”

Rey could only heave out sobs on uneven breaths. 

“It...I…” she cried harder. “I can't lose you, and I thought I would for… for… killing him.” Rey gasped for air before pressing her face down into his shoulder. “I d-did so with no regrets...and… and I,” Rey yawned. “I would do it again,” she moaned through a whisper. 

Rey’s sobbing had carried on, not once hearing him tell her she’d done good for them. 

“Ya were protectin’ us, sweetheart,” he reassured her, rocking her from side to side. “I was sure mad at ya though. Yer decision was infuriatin’, leavin’ me behind n ya couldn’t just listen..”

Hearing him say it slowed her breathing. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she continued well into the night ,even as they made it back to the airport to get home. 

The pair had been met by her family, including Elizabeth, who stood nervously away from Nigel and the kids as they began to say their goodbyes. 

“You-You don't have to go, Rey,” her mother began. 

Rey, who wasn't sure what to make of this sudden act of kindness, stayed quiet. There was a catch, there had to be. 

“I just, I saw - heard your interview. I just, there are things you have to understand,” she said. “I never meant to be that hard on you, I just, I thought you were defying me just to do it.”

“Mother,” Rey turned to her, the words that fell from her lips had been direct, stern, and knowledgeable. “I need time. I need to process the closure I’ve given myself and my husband. One day we’ll talk about what happened here between us, but it’s not today,” Rey outstretched her hands to hold her mother’s, only to squeeze them before letting them go. 

This wasn’t goodbye, but Rey felt the need to get back to the quiet life she craved with Clyde. There they would be able to handle their continuous changes.

There they would find peace now. 

Rey was sure of it. 

And so, they turned away from London to reach the comfort of their home. 

. . . 

Time passed, as it always does, and Clyde and Rey found solace with each other. They were the other’s anchor when needed, truly acting like two halves of a whole. Jess, Rose, Kay, Poe and Finn all took to calling them soulmates, and their friends knew that wherever Clyde was, Rey was close by - and vice versa.

The interview had been cathartic for his girl, and, by proxy, for him. Hearing that the love of his life had killed someone, though, had been a shock to him. In his mind, Rey was far too good to ever harm another living being. He was supposed to protect her, to keep her safe and beat back anything that might try to harm her. 

It was hard, knowing that what Rey had done had been to save him. It juxtaposed their entire relationship up until that moment. He had always been the protector, the one always willing and ready to do what it took to keep her safe. This time, Rey had been the one to protect him, to pull the trigger and eliminate the threat.

“Hey… you’re a million miles away…” Rey slid onto his lap, and Clyde turned his head to look at her, letting a half smile slide onto his face.

“Just thinkin’ ‘bout everythin’,” Clyde said, wrapping his arm around her. “How we got ta be here and happy n free to love each other like we do. I think doin’ that interview helped ya some, ya know? Ya seem more comfortable in yer own skin n all.”

“I am,” Rey said, tangling her fingers in his hair as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his gently. “I have you, and I have the family I made for myself here in America. I’m content, and I know what I want to do with my life now that I don’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. You’re still upset about it all, though, aren’t you? What I did?” Rey leaned her forehead against Clyde’s as she spoke, wanting to stay as close to him as she could for the time being.

“Yeah, I’m still tryin’ ta put it all together in my head. Tryin’ to make it all okay. Just… I’ve been the one protectin’ ya for so long. Keepin’ ya safe n all. I had this picture in my mind a ya n all. Yer my sweet, kind, lovin’, smart wife. Ta think about ya pullin’ that trigger… makes my head spin.” Clyde pressed his lips against hers, his hand rubbing up and down her spine softly. “I shoulda been the one to do it, darlin’. Ya never shoulda had ta get blood on yer hands. It ain’t right.” Clyde shrugged, letting out a huff of air before giving her another kiss.

It all clicked into place for Rey then, and she moved her fingers from his hair to cup his cheeks. “You are having trouble dealing with it because you have always been the protector. The guardian. It’s ingrained in your genetic code, I think. I can’t wait to see you with our children. You are going to be their fierce protector - but also their nurturer, as well.” Rey pressed her lips to his before pulling away to gaze into his eyes. “You are the strongest, bravest, kindest, gorgeous man I have ever seen, Clyde Logan. I am a lucky woman to have you.”

Clyde’s cheeks flushed even as he was filled with pride. He had truly been blessed to have a woman like Rey fall in love with him. As usual, she had hit the nail on the head for what had been eating at him. He had always been her protector, from the moment they met. It hurt him, deep inside, to know that she had taken a life to keep him safe, to insure their future together.

She was so fierce. He loved that about her, as much as it bothered him sometimes.

“I… I just wanna keep ya safe, darlin’. Always. I’m so proud of who ya become here lately. Yer almost done with yer degree, and ya got yer friends who will always back ya up. I know yer -”

“We’re. There is no me without you, baby.” Rey interrupted him with a grin, pulling a grin from him as well.

“We’re. I know we’re gonna go great things togetha once ya get that degree n all.” Even as Clyde said the words, he felt them settle over his soul, bringing him a greater sense of peace. He and Rey were going to do good things together, and if they were blessed with children, they would be filled with a sense of grace, morals and knowing that were loved by their parents always.

Pressing her lips to his again, Rey simply said, “You bet your ass we are.”

  
  
  
  
  


. . .

Rey found herself taking several semesters off only to go back to Ithaca, finding the women she’d left behind to pursue a quieter life with Clyde still there. They’d certainly grown up in that time, or at least she could see slight changes in their features. Age, more so than she would have thought, at least in the form of maturity. 

It was a quiet reunion, her footsteps moving lightly through the foyer made no effort to call them from where they were, and yet Rose turned just as quickly, noticing the slight change. Time nearly stood still, her friend rising from where she sat in the kitchen, light flooding the sitting room calling the others to react. Rose’s arms flung out to the sides of her, then back towards her sides before hauling her legs forward, moving at a pace that would suggest danger. Her happiness to see her friend washed over her in waves cascading down her cheeks. 

Kaydel was next to follow. She, though, stood covering her mouth in surprise before making her way over, allowing Rose time to be with her friend first.

It had been a surprise, reregistering in school, at least. Rey always knew she would be back in Ithaca; back where her and Clyde’s relationship grew. Where she was stubbornly pursuing this man, the love of her life, and building a family based on friendships that would never die. Returning for school was far from her thoughts, but a good activity to help tether her back to this life. Running off with Clyde helped work out their personal business and healing, but this was her next necessary step forward, seeing the girls again. 

At that moment Rose crashed into her, wrapping her solid arms around her as she went. 

Questions flowed like the tears on her face, wanting to know hundreds of things in a second. Her most pressing, though, was when she finally let go, asking, “How are the two of you?” Rose’s eyes caught Rey’s before looking back to Clyde, who stood off to the side. 

Her sincerity had not been missed by the man. He’d nodded, and Rey went along with sharing their news, where they’ve been, what they’ve done and gone through since. 

“We’re healing,” Rey smiled at Rose, returning her questions to the bright woman in front of her.

“Isn’t that fantastic!” Rose suppressed a sob. “The two of you deserve only the best. I can’t say I didn’t miss you, though. The house has been, well, empty without the two of you in it.” 

Rose happened to catch Kaydel’s eye, still positioned away from the pair, waiting her turn, to which Rose called her over to pull her in for a group hug. She’d then flung her head back, calling for Jess, “Get in here!”

Rey happened to look past the tops of her friend’s heads to see Jess standing, bathing in the golden light now, her hands clasped in front of her, smirking a little before saying, “Good morning, Rey.” 

“Oh my god, Jess,” Rose dropped her head to her shoulders. “That’s your start? That's what you needed to say? Not anything to the extent of how happy you are to see-”

Jess scoffs, then releases her clasped hands to very clearly flip Rose off, making Clyde chuckle. 

“When you’re done making love to Clyde’s wife, maybe you could come in and we can finally eat.”

The room fell silent, and she waited there with an odd look in her eye. 

“Did...wait… did you just call him Clyde?” Rose asked, her brow furrowing as she did.

“And?” Jess challenged.

“When did that change?”

“Surely you have to be kidding, Rose. It’s always been Clyde.” Jess’ head nods up in his direction, expecting him to jump in and agree. 

Clyde doesn't.

“I distinctly remember ya callin’ me Kyle,” he said. 

“Then you’re deaf,” she said, doing her best to contain herself. 

“Wait, wait, wait… What was it you said to me when you started calling Finn by his real name?”

“I’m pretty sure you’re doing this for attention, Rose.”

“Nah, nah, it was something about listening to his girl. Is that why you’re open to it now? What are you going to call Poe now that Kay is--”

“Okay, that's more than enough!” Kaydel tried to stop the conversation before it got too far. 

“Oh, I have plenty of names for that--”

“Don’t…”

“Touchy…” she teased. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll get an earful when the poor guy comes over,” Rose assured Clyde. “You’re not alone.”

“That bad?” Clyde questioned.

“I am certain she was holding her tongue with you.”

“I wouldn't call it that, per se,” Jess interrupted.

“And what would you call it?” Rey asked, her head swiveling around to keep up with their conversation. 

“Respect,” Jess said with finality. 

The girls seemed to know not to push her now. Jess wasn’t just some girl with an undeclared major. She was a super soldier, sworn to protect in such a way that still sort of boggled their minds. 

After their mission ended and Rey took the blame for pulling out all the stops for it, Jess had to come clean. 

No one knew. 

That was the plan. It would stay that way until her last breath - or so she thought. So long as Rey and the Prime Minister’s family was protected, as expected, she’d wait in the wings under the callous scrutiny of Rey’s mother’s bullshit, and that bastard Seth’s drama before ever letting on that she’d been there undercover the whole time. It was easy. The most fun she’d ever had working undercover, that is, until Rey’s Proposal.

Being on the stand in the courtroom changed things for Jess. 

Not being entirely able to answer simple questions on behalf of herself made it clear that she was ready for a change. 

There Jess stood, waiting for her friends to accept what she said, and when Rey broke from Rose and Kaydel, she took steadying steps toward Jess, her grin swept across her face as she went. 

“Respect is right,” she said, then wrapped her arms around Jess to pull her in for a hug, one just as meaningful as the one she shared with the girls. “Respect is right,” she repeated. “Thank you, for everything.”

Jess, who was one filled with remarks, happened to be silenced by this. It was alarming and wonderful to be thanked. They would never know what lengths she’d gone through to keep them safe, but that would be another story for another time. Right now? Now she was trying to figure out a way to keep herself from letting the stress of it conquer her, along with the closeness of her wonderful friend.

Instead, Jess calmly clears her throat, asking her family if they were finally hungry, to which they all agreed. 

“Great,” she said. “Cause I know a guy that can burn bacon perfectly.”

The room filled with giggles at first, then accepted a steady hum of activity as if it had been brought back to life. 

. . . 

Later that week Jess found herself taking a hike through the woods on the other side of the lake behind their home in Ithaca with Clyde and Rey. It began to be one of the things Jess found herself needing - being in the presence of a fellow PTSD survivor. Out in the open, the air was pure, the trees stood tall enough to act as a fortress somewhat, both protecting them from what they’d been through, and releasing their fears at the same time. 

There they talked about everything from stupid things they’d done as kids, what got them into the service, how they felt about being called to a civilian case, what it meant to them to continue, and so forth. Landing on the most current topic, Jess cringed when Clyde asked about the other fallen men. 

“It had to be done,” was her answer.

“Don’t be givin’ me that line. Ya got a chance to come clean with it n ya owe me that, at least, with all yer sneaky bullshit that had me thinkin’ I’d lose my wife, n all.”

“Don’t get all dramatic, Mr. I served too,” Jess grinned, waiting for his response. 

Clyde crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, promising his walk would be over if she didn't spill it. 

“Yeah, yeah… I popped them off,” she said casually. 

“Did ya at least have--”

“A reason? Yes. They were thoroughly vetted before I pulled the trigger.”

“You?” He couldn't help his incredulous look he gave her. “Don’t be pullin’ my leg any, Jess, ya shoot?”

“Why is this even the question you’re leading with?”

Clyde bit back his next remark, trying to think of the next thing he wanted to ask before coming across a large stone wall with bullet holes, or at least what looked like them, rammed into the stone. Suddenly he became very aware that they had never been in this section of the woods, and that Rey could be in danger. Instinctively, he pulled her close, looking down at fallen pieces of garbage beneath shed leaves.

“Where the hell are we?” he asked. His mouth was dry with anticipation. This damned place looked as good as any for an ambush. 

“Cool your jets, big guy,” Jess teased. “This was a firing range, years ago.”

“Firing range?”

“Yeah,” Rey added. 

“Should I be worried?” Clyde teased.

“For your accuracy pride? Maybe? I am the best sniper in the land,” Jess snorted as she waved her hand over the horizon. 

“Speaking of,” he started, “Be honest. Was it you who shot the bastard?”

Jess stopped and looked at Rey, her shoulders bouncing up and down as she laughed. 

“I wouldn't count your wife out of the decision she made to protect ya, Clyde,” Jess paused to catch his eye, then point past Rey to the balcony across the water from where they stood. A breeze passed by them before she spoke again. “Rey’s an excellent shot. I mean,” she laughs, then clears her throat to purr, “I did teach her and all.”

Rey watches the color drain out of her husband’s face as he realizes the image of his wife taking that bastard’s life. What she must have gone through at the pull of the trigger, feeling the gun lurching backward after the bullet rocketed out of its chamber, all for him. 

“The real question now is, how good of a shot are you?” Jess asks, just above a whisper. 

“What?” Clyde croaked.

Rey could only smile shyly when she looked up at him. 

“Your accuracy is important, that is… if you’re ever going to have a family and all.” 

Clyde choked on his spit, he and Rey had only just had this conversation again the night before, sleeping in what used to be his bed. How the hell did she know? Did she know? Was she spying- oh God - did she hear them?

“You do want that, don’t ya?” Jess pressed, clearly enjoying his discomfort. 

“Yes, I want that --we want that,” Rey clarified. She’d watched his throat bob, and did his best to answer the cocky girl’s question. 

“Yes, it is,” he added. 

“Great,” Jess continued. “Since I’m technically out - retired now, I was hopin’ I might be a prime candidate for becoming your family’s bodyguard when ya do conceive.”

It was Rey’s turn to choke a little, but it had been the nicest way the girl could have asked. She was literally the worst at deliveries, unless she was bickering with the girls. Rey knew deep down that they would be in good care with Jess. It could give Clyde a chance to really enjoy fatherhood, not to mention parenting with her. And, so she asks her if she’d need a team. 

“Already have one.” 

Both Clyde and Rey look at each other, and then back at Jess quizzically. 

“Who?” they manage to ask.

“The girls...why on earth do you think I addressed you like an angel when you came home?”

“An angel?’ Clyde questioned. 

“Good lord, give this man a television!” Jess groaned. “Charlie’s Angels? No? Good, God, Man… We’re going to fix this right now!” she exclaimed pointing back towards the house. “Rose’ll hook you up, n we can get pizza…”

After several episodes, Clyde could only make comments about who was which angel, and how he’d been the luckiest man alive to have the best one. 


	10. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With that, Rey’s phone went off, buzzing loudly on the table in front of them. Even from the distance she knew who it was. Her mother hadn’t stopped trying to reach them since they disappeared after the interview. The woman simply didn't understand how to let go, how to lose, and it was time to face the music. 
> 
> Rey felt as though time slowed, even though her mind raced with everything that had happened far before ever having the pleasure of meeting Clyde. This battle was one that she would have to see head on and this time her husband, her life partner, would stand by her side. There was no reason to do it alone and everything she wanted to say, Clyde needed to hear as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys.... this is THE END. It has been such a crazy ride for Kelly and I, writing this together has been so much fun! We hope you enjoyed our story... and look for more collabs from us in the not so distant future! Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Moodboard done by the wonderful lorel-ren. :)

[ ](https://imgur.com/yOg6Byt)

Well into the day one Saturday morning, months from her release, well into Rey’s last semester, her mother had called the land line again, hoping to get her. Neither Kaydel nor Jess had the nerve to let on that she was home until the eleventh try. 

“Isn’t there a way to force fill the voicemail box?” Kaydel covered her face in a large cream colored fringe pillow. 

“Force fill it?” Jess raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“You know what I mean! Or turn it off so it automatically declines the call.”

“No, that’s a cell phone,” she replied. “I can always cut the line.”

Kay sat upright in her seat, “Can you do it without going outside?”

“So I don’t get caught by the woman?” Jess leaned on her elbow against the winged chair while she lounged, her body halfway out of it. “Because you know how much she loves me.... I can do it out in the open. Let her watch…”

“You really have a ‘spiteful bitch’ side to you,” Kaydel added.

“She keeps me alive,” Jess grinned. “I can shoot it, if you’d prefer.”

“No, that's a negative. I don't want or need to hear you popping off things off the house… from the house. Nowhere near the house.”

“Think I’ll miss?”

“Noone’s that good where they never do.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge!” Jess hopped up, deciding on what she could shoot at.

“No - no!” Kaydel protested. She retreated into the cushions, swearing loudly that Jess was a seven year old boy bent on proving people wrong. 

“What are you doing?” Rose finally made it downstairs after her midterm review. 

“Why’s my rifle missing?” Jess hissed, then rolled her eyes. “Target practice?”

“Sounded more like he was hitting his mark,” Rose smirked.

Jess’ grin only grew, excitedly waiting for her promotion. 

. . .

By the time they’d been ready to face the music, if she could call it that, both Rey and Clyde found the girls with their headphones on and being the poorest excuses of busy as they could be. Jess lounged carelessly over the couch as if she’d been shot, Kaydel shoved pillows around her to build up a wall that Jess kept finding minute ways to knock down, and Rose was plucking the dead leaves off of the foliage in every potted plant in the home. Rey groaned at this too. 

“How long has she been out there?” she asked. 

“Long enough…” Rose mouthed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Rose turned and gave her Jess’ famous rendition of The People’s Eyebrow.

“Long enough to know you’ll be popping out some grandkids,” Jess sat up on her elbows. 

Rey’s glow drained right from her cheeks. Her mom was against everything she’d ever done, especially the man she chose, how could knowing that help her get through this in any way? She cringed at Jess, then Clyde followed up with his own remark about dropping her smartass facade. 

“Oh, you wouldn’t want that,” she replied, grinning like an idiot.

“‘N why’s that?”

“Because this right here is my sweet mode.”

“You don’t want to see obnoxious!” Kaydel said, sitting up fast. “You don’t want to see it. I asked once, and y’all should have kept that a locked up tight type of secret. Don’t say anything, Rose. Don’t react, nothing, exactly nothing outta you, Jess,” she warned.

“Ya mean ya haven't been obnoxious this whole time?” Clyde smirked. 

“Hmm,” Jess hummed. “Let’s just say so long as you keep up your part of the bargain you’ll never have to find out.”

“Bargain?” Kay whipped her head around to stare now, “You mean I could have opted out?”

“Oh no, darlin’. What we have is special,” Jess teased everyone in the room now. 

With that, Rey’s phone went off, buzzing loudly on the table in front of them. Even from the distance she knew who it was. Her mother hadn’t stopped trying to reach them since they disappeared after the interview. The woman simply didn't understand how to let go, how to lose, and it was time to face the music. 

Rey felt as though time slowed, even though her mind raced with everything that had happened far before ever having the pleasure of meeting Clyde. This battle was one that she would have to see head on and this time her husband, her life partner, would stand by her side. There was no reason to do it alone and everything she wanted to say, Clyde needed to hear as well. 

It was one thing to tell the world through Amilyn’s interview segment - but it was another to dive into the world she thought she knew with the woman who was supposed to be sworn to protect her. Her own flesh and blood - the thought of what she’d said about not being part of the family coursed through her veins then, building armor she’d only partially known. Now it covered her, built a fortress around her and her husband, making it easier to charge into war. 

If she was truly not theirs, then who was she?

Would it matter what she was before?

Her lineage?

The warmth of Clyde’s fingers laced though hers, calling her attention back to him. 

“Ya don’t have ta do this alone. I’m here--”

“I know,” Rey whispered as she looked up into her man’s eyes. She could see her world, her love, her life with him always. She knew that if it was true, if she didn't belong with them, it wouldn't matter. She had Clyde and her friends - and they were all the family she truly needed.

She led them to the door in silence, his look still heavy in her mind, his hand still clasped tightly in hers, her small family watching in the wings as they always had. Rey looked over her shoulder carefully, then back to the door, resting her hand on the knob before letting out a calm and collected breath.

Turning the knob and pulling the heavy front door towards them revealed Elizabeth, her hair frazzled, still in her stylish dress despite the cooler temperatures, Rey’s eyes finally rest on her mother’s - settling the woman and winding her up all at once. 

“How did you know I was here?” she asked, hurriedly. 

“E - Mother…” Rey nodded her head to the side in reference to her well-abled husband and, no, she did not have to mention Jess at all in this. 

“Right… right,” Elizabeth’s eyes shot to his, then lowered presumably to see where she should go from there. 

“Do you want to come in?” Rey asked gently. 

Her eyes flicked back up to Rey’s in surprise. Cautiously, Elizabeth replied, “So long as I’m not imposing. I - I’ve been such a mess with you… I’m surprised, you know...:”

“About her grace?” Clyde’s deep voice and southern drawl spoke to Rey’s heart more than his words had. 

“Well, not that. Surely not. It’s not to say I’m not proud of that. Rey’s grace far exceeds my own.”

It was brief, the smallest huff, and Rey knew Clyde agreed. It was strange and welcome knowing that she could sense him this way. Calming, reassuring… and all hers. 

Rey didn't respond to her remark. Instead, she offered her hand to welcome her mother into her own home. The girls stood to keep their eyes on her until they’d been acknowledged. Elizabeth connected first with Rose of course, her favorite, then Kaydel, and finally Jess, who quirked her eyebrow at the woman, expecting a little more than a quiet response as she’d given the other two. Instead, she jerked back a little. It was small enough that if she’d blinked, Rey wouldn't have seen it. This new development was odd, to say the least. They’d always been fighting or at least snarky with the other, and now the woman was no longer sure which obviously made Jess happy. Her smirk had been telling, but had reached out her hand to shake the woman’s hand. 

It was a careful procedure, certainly stirring Elizabeth up further as she went. 

“Tea?” Rey asked, breaking up the moment. 

“Oh, um, no,” her mother refused, catching Rey off guard. “Tea is just a distraction. I came to apologize and make amends. Tea - it's just going to get in the way of that.” Her mother clasped her hands together, itching to sit, but paced across the marble tile instead. 

Rey mirrored her but hadn’t moved. She stood there in quiet contemplation while she watched her mother try to keep her thoughts together. The woman would start and stop, getting frustrated at how her story would jumble up, no matter how many times she started from the beginning. 

“What I’m trying to say is that we made so many mistakes, but you were never one of them. What I said in the hospital, it was fear, it was fury, anger, so much anger, but you - I wasn't listening. We were trying to fix so much. They, he wanted… your father. Rey, he wanted peace. It’s all he’s ever searched for. The joy of being in school here, he - well he holds onto it. It’s why this place exists. I always thought it was for some woman. Stephen’s mother, a - well a nobody,” Elizabeth hung her head in shame directly after locking eyes with Clyde. “I’ve been in high society all my life. Nigel, he has too, but it’s different for men. God, the overall worry I went through with the possibility of an affair, I’d already been carrying you for months when I found out. You were never theirs or anyone else’s. We were going to give you up, give you to Stephen’s mother to keep news of this getting out. Of our pregnancy out of wedlock - but the moment I gave birth, Rey I couldn't give you up.” 

Her mother’s footsteps grew silent, Rey noticed she had stopped in front of her, her hands trembling while she looked as though she was trying to decide on whether or not to extend them to touch her daughter’s.

“It’s when the threats began. They’d intensified around the country but we had nothing to go on, it couldn't have been you. Our decision couldn't have been why.”

“You knew?” Rey whispered. 

She felt Clyde’s grip tighten around her fingers, a slight tug in his direction had her stepping out of her mother’s grasp. 

“You knew it was like this? The war? The…”

“Terrorism was happening well before you were born, Rey. There were always advancements and times our country had fallen victim,” Elizabeth tried explaining. 

“But I caused this? My existence? So many paid the price because I’m here?” Rey asked, her voice wavering at the thought of the men, women and children that had suffered - the ones she saw at least… it had been too much. 

“It wasn't you, Rey,” her mother tried. 

“It was…” her voice sounded resolute, but just for a moment. “It was you,” she followed. “You --”

“I chose love. Rey. Your father, he did too, and that woman… she’d been scorned. She’d lost what she wanted.”

“But you were so cold... “ Rey stepped forward again. “You were so calloused, blind, horrifyingly capable of standing up for Stephen, and unable to listen to the daughter you said you loved.”

Her mother’s eyes pleaded with her, but now Rey found her fortress again. No longer weakened by her odd truths. Rey could stand her ground, asking for every shred of a story she lived but never knew. 

“Do you realize how messed up that is? You didn't even try to hear me. He was abusing me, mother, this whole time!” Rey’s eyes raced around on the speckled floor as if she was seeing a galaxy of examples to flood her senses. There was so much to say, so much fire to spit and yet, she could see it, the pain in her eyes. The hurt that had been hidden trying to protect what she loved, no matter if she truly died from it in the process. 

“I lost myself, Rey. Your father, he couldn't understand why it was so important either. But at the time we truly respected Stephen,” she shook her head at her response. Waves of her long hair tumbled out of her side swept bun as she went on. “Stephen... “ Elizabeth’s breath wracked through her, making her whole body tremble. 

It was time to stop, Rey thought, her arms felt as though they stretched on forever in this surreal place. Never in her life did she think she could get as far as she had. There were never answers - and now there were. So many she could imagine or unearth in a way she couldn't before. A time where the devil himself could touch Rey through her mother… and now, well, she could feel the finest threads weave themselves together in this moment, promising a bond that could not be broken - not again at least. And for that, Rey was thankful. 

Rey did her best to remind herself that this was only the beginning. That this healing process was in fact a process, but just like she’d learned with Clyde, Rey knew she was stronger now… that she could do it. They could be more than they ever had. They could have a mother-daughter relationship. She could learn to accept Clyde and any children they brought into the world. Elizabeth could be there for it, enjoying the life Rey and the man of her dreams could create.

Elizabeth accepted her daughter’s hug, cradling the back of her head as if she’d been born again. Their bond strengthening while they remained in the other’s arms. 

“I’m sorry, Rey. I,” Elizabeth began again, holding her tighter still. The woman continuously apologized for the poor life she’d given the girl, then reached for Clyde’s arm blindly, apologizing first for grabbing his bad arm, then thanking him for always being there for Rey. 

“Yer welcome,” he murmured, then nodded directly after. “Rey’s the love a my life, n I’m never gonna let her down. She’s my rock, my everything,” he paused when Rey rested her head back to nuzzle him, and her mother stepped back from her embrace. 

“You’ll always be that and more to me too, Clyde,” she assured him. “You’re my family.”

Her mother nodded, “That's right, you are.” 

The sound of her voice had the two look back to her mother curiously. They watched on as she gathered a few things from her pocketbook. One item had been folded, another in an envelope - which only made her wonder more. 

“And being that to one another,” her mother swallowed thickly, with what looked like hope etched on her features. “It seemed like the right thing to do to give you a home where you feel the most comfortable, the most like you can be yourselves. Your father and I want you and Clyde to have this place.”

Rey’s own hands trembled, not knowing what it was she meant, only to open the folded papers showing what the larger item was. 

It was the deed to their home in Ithaca. 

“One day… when you have children… if… I mean… when and if you want them,” she swallowed nervously. “Your children will be safe here.”

Rey’s hand flew to her mouth, trying to both thank her mother and reply that it was far too much. All of which had been hushed. 

“I’ve broken you so many times, Rey,” her mother’s voice shook when she’d admitted it. “Please, please let me help rebuild you by providing this? It’s all paid, the land too. There’s nothing you have to do to it, unless you want to, of course.”

Rey nodded and felt a little dizzy at the realization here. 

She was trying. This was her mother’s way of fixing things, and while Rey was completely satisfied with talking things out, she knew rejecting this would only give them both more pain. None of which either of them needed. And so, she accepted her parent’s gift gracefully. 

Next she handed over an envelope filled with pictures. 

Rey’s hands continued to tremble while she went through them. There was everything there, well, all that happened while they’d been out in the open. 

“Before you get upset at them, they really are beautiful,” she started. “There are lovely pictures of the both of you at events and casually that Jessica’s team had taken that I thought you might like.”

She looked carefully at all of them while her mother babbled in the background. Rey marveled at how clear most of them were showing Clyde as she came across photo after glorious photo of her handsome man. 

“Thank you,” she breathed. “Thank you…”

....

  
  
  


Time passed, as it was want to do, and Clyde and Rey found their happiness in each other’s arms. After Rey graduated from Cornell she spent time trying to figure out just what she wanted to do now that she had academia out of the way, until one day, laying in bed next to her husband, she realized just what she wanted - and needed - to do. 

She wanted a way to honor her husband for his service to his country, and to help those service members who came home wounded and alone with no help. Clyde had been one of the lucky ones - he had come home from war and had a good support system for his PTSD with his family. Not everyone was so lucky.

“Yer thinkin’ too hard. Go back ta sleep.” Clyde’s voice came out of the darkness, and as he pulled her closer Rey grinned and kissed him lovingly.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Rey said softly, pushing his hair back off his forehead as he popped an eye open to look at her. She snuggled closer to him, planting another kiss to his lips.

“Ya were rustlin’ around a lot. Guess I can’t break my old guard habits. Ya know how hard it was for me at first, standin’ outside yer bedroom door while I was wantin’ ya so badly it hurt? I knew, I just knew ya were the girl fer me n all, and I couldn’t do a damn thing ‘bout it. I think I knew that day ya ran smack dab inta me. Ya looked gorgeous, all flustered n all. Yeah, I think I fell in love with ya right then n there.”

Rey couldn’t help the brilliant smile that came to her lips at Clyde’s admission. “I couldn’t believe how tall you were, and how broad your chest was. Then I looked into those eyes of yours, and I was gone. I was yours from that moment on.”

“Ain’t we just a pair?” Clyde murmured, smiling at his wife before pulling her closer to him and kissing her softly.

“We are, indeed!” Rey giggled before snuggling into the comfortable safety of her husband’s embrace once more. 

….

Setting up their foundation had taken many hours of work. Lining up the funding, calling in old favors and convincing people that they needed to help veterans became Rey’s lifework - and she had never been happier.

Clyde was with her the whole time - the silent face of the whole foundation, really - though he claimed he didn’t do much. Maybe it was the soft, kind way he spoke with everyone he encountered, or the way he made it seem like his disability wasn’t something he ever thought about. He had such a grace about him, even for a big man. He owned the room when he walked into it, although when she told him that, he merely shrugged and said “I am who I am, darlin’. I ain’t much without ya, fer sure. I know that.”

They travelled all across America and the United Kingdom - and Rey had to admit, her Father and Mother both were instrumental in helping her procure some funding, as well. While she and Elizabeth might never truly have the type of relationship Rey had longed for her entire life - things were good. Her siblings still looked up to her, and Rey doted on them whenever they visited them in Ithaca.

They spent time in Boone County, as well, and Rey enjoyed the quiet, sleepy life they had there. They would go fishing in the Little Coal River, sitting on the tailgate of Clyde’s beat up old truck, talking until the sun came up and the stars faded away for another night. She learned how to mix drinks at the bar he had bought years ago - the Duck Tape - and the people of Boone County came to accept her as one of them after a time.

Lying in bed one morning, Rey rolled over to face her still slumbering husband, nuzzling his ear with her nose softly, her pink tongue licking it as he woke up and opened one eye to look at her. “Mornin’, darlin’,” he mumbled in the tiny, sleepy voice that always made her smile.

“Good Morning, handsome,” Rey replied before leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Remember how I said I wanted to re-do the room across the hall someday?”

“Mmhmm. Ya said it’d make a good nursery, I believe.” Clyde smiled as he felt his wife’s hand close around his before pulling it over to rest on her stomach.

“Yes, I did. We need to go to the hardware store today so we can start redecorating it. I think a nice, neutral shade of light green or a bright yellow would be nice. What do you think?” Rey waited for a split second for Clyde’s brain to register what she was saying. A grin came to her face as he came fully awake now, using his elbow to prop him up as he looked at her.

“Ya… are ya sayin’ what I think yer sayin’, darlin’? Are… are we expectin’ a youngin?” A hopeful look came into his eyes then, and when Rey nodded her head with a brilliant smile, Clyde grabbed her and pulled her close with the good arm that had been on her stomach, pressing a kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, it was with tears in his eyes. “I’m gonna be a Daddy,” he whispered softly, and Rey nodded.

“You’re going to be a  _ great _ Daddy,” Rey said, tears brimming in her eyes as well.

Nine months later, as he paced and fretted and grit his teeth, their son was welcomed into the world - and just like Rey said - he was a great father. Little Sammy was the biggest joy in their lives, and when they had to travel for work, he came along with them. They always used it as a learning experience for their little boy, and Rey loved watching her favorite people in the world when they experienced something new to them both.

They spent more time in Boone County the older Sammy got. He took his first steps in their backyard there, said his first word there, and Rey knew that even though they would go to Ithaca for months at a time when needed, both she and Clyde felt that their home was in Boone County.

When Sammy was three, they expanded their little family to five with the birth of their twins. Savannah and Sawyer were the apples of their big brother’s eyes, and Sammy doted on them proudly. Clyde was the proudest, most patient father Rey had ever seen, and he was truly her partner in everything - even changing diapers at five in the morning, or chasing their toddler across the yard so she could take a nap while the twins slept.

Sure, they had their tense moments, moments when she wanted nothing more than to smack her stubborn man upside the head - lovingly, of course. He had a stubborn streak a mile wide, and even though Rey knew he could do anything he put his mind to, he still saw himself as broken. She never saw him like that, though. He could hold both twins and wrangle Sammy with no problems, or stand in front of a room of veterans and make them feel welcomed and cared for.

He was an incredible man.

All in all, their life was filled with love, family and friends, as well as the work they did with their Foundation to help veterans - not just in the US now, but worldwide. When Sammy turned five and was ready to start school, they decided to bury their roots in Boone County for good, running the Foundation from there. Sure, there was still travel involved - but week long trips were a few days instead now.

Jimmy and Sylvie added to their family with a son about a year after their wedding - and then it was Mellie and Joe Bang’s turn to bring another cousin into the world for the Logan kids. Rose and Finn married, although they settled in New Orleans, and Kaydel and Poe also married and settled in New York City. Jess finally settled down as well, going back across the pond to London with her husband.

Once a year they would all gather in Ithaca along with their families. The kids would all run in the backyard, playing in the kiddie pools, their squeals of joy filling the air as the adults sat in lawn chairs, drinking beers and mixed drinks and catching up.

It was always the best two weeks of the year for them all.

The twins were just starting to toddle around on chubby legs, following their big brother wherever he went, and Rey kept a watchful eye on them as she sat perched on the lawn chair next to Clyde, their friends surrounding them as the July sun shone down on them all, and as Rey let out a happy sigh, Clyde pulled her close and kissed her cheek softly.

“We have the best life, don’t we, handsome?”

Clyde let his eyes wander over their backyard, filled to the brim with their friends, family… and more love than he had ever thought possible. Pulling his wife closer, Clyde planted another kiss to her lips this time before muttering, “That we do, darlin’. That we do.” 

**Author's Note:**

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